Pawlenty drops out of Values Voter poll, will still speak at summit

Tim Pawlenty. Photo: Facebook

Gov. Tim Pawlenty asked the Values Voter Summit to remove his name from the presidential straw poll the religious right event will conduct this weekend, the Star Tribune reports. He will be speaking at the summit via video while he is on a trade mission to Asia. Pawlenty hasn’t gained much traction in recent straw polls among Republicans.

“Gov. Pawlenty is leading an official trade mission in China, is not able to speak at the conference, and therefore isn’t listed,” Pawlenty’s spokesman Alex Conant told the Minneapolis paper. “He had a great visit at the Values Voters Summit last year, appreciates their ongoing work, and is focused on helping conservatives win this fall.”

Pawlenty hasn’t fared well in recent straw polls. At CPAC in February, he finished fourth behind Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin. He tied for sixth place at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in April, with 3 percent. Also in April, he tied for sixth in the Iowa Straw Poll sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa, garnering one percent of the vote.