Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has recently been heralded by conservative pundits who regret his early departure from the GOP presidential race, told MSNBC Thursday that he won’t accept a vice presidential position.

Pawlenty dropped his bid for the GOP presidential nomination following a third-place finish in the August Iowa Straw Polls. An endorsement of Mitt Romney’s campaign led to speculation that he was gunning for the vice presidential spot.

MSNBC host host Lawrence O’Donnell proposed that Pawlenty is Romney’s best prospect for a vice presidential candidate.

“I’ve already said publicly and repeatedly, that’s not something I’m going to consider,” Pawlenty said. ”He’s going to have a lot of great people to pick from as a vice presidential candidates, I’m sure he’ll make a great pick, it will be a great balanced ticket, but that’s not something I’m going to consider.”

Pawlenty said the “bench strength of the Republican Party and conservative movement is incredible,” citing vice presidential prospects for politicians like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be John McCain’s running mate over Pawlenty in the 2008 race.

Video: Pawlenty discusses his decision not to pursue or accept a vice presidential offer around the 11:00 mark.

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Pawlenty quit his candidacy after a disappointing third place finish in the Iowa Straw Polls.

As conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg points out, Pawlenty’s strategy was to “[b]e the most electable candidate to the right of Romney.”

But in a crowded conservative field, Pawlenty’s message didn’t really spark with voters, who kept him in the single digits throughout early polling.

Since then, the campaigns of both Perry and Bachmann have run into some bumps, with Herman Cain and Mitt Romney now ascending to the top of the heap. The Atlantic points out that neither of these two candidates have much of an Iowa ground operation, which could mean the race is still in flux there.

This is where Goldberg sees a spot for Pawlenty:

“His problem stemmed from the fact that he’s a vanilla guy who thought he needed to convince conservatives he was a more exciting flavor. He should have waited, because vanilla may not be anyone’s first choice, but it’s almost everyone’s second choice.”

Isaac Chotiner at the New Republic chimes in with a similar angle, calling Pawlenty a “more credible alternative to Romney.”

Although Chotiner admits Pawlenty had financial troubles, he argues that his realistic chances of winning the endorsement merited staying in the race.

With the release of recent quarterly financial reports, it’s clear that Pawlenty was probably more than $500,000 in debt when he dropped out, as reports at the time suggested. Even now, Pawlenty’s debt sits at more than $450,000, with only $20,000 on hand. Not only did Pawlenty blow all his funds in the run-up to the Iowa Straw Poll, he spent way more than he had.

Pawlenty has said he regrets dropping out so early. But expanded on the decision to Minnesota Public Radio in October:

“We made some decisions that I think with the benefit of hindsight I would have done differently. I think if we had it to do over again, we would have probably metered out our resources lighter earlier so we could have made them last longer,” Pawlenty said. “Instead, we went for a more dramatic piece of progress in that early Iowa contest, and I think we should have made a different decision.”

Even if Pawlenty had been willing to go even further into debt after the straw poll, Des Moines Register polling shows it may not have made a difference to actual Iowa voters.

The recent poll found that only 5 percent of voters would now choose Pawlenty as their first choice, with only 12 percent liking him on their second choice.

“Of course, had he continued to campaign, he might have moved the needle,” pollster J. Ann Selzer told the Des Moines Register. “But as of now, few are longing for him.”

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Monday that he dropped his presidential bid too early and that his campaign put too much focus on Iowa.

Pawlenty announced the end of his campaign in August. MPR’s reporting confirms earlier speculation that his campaign was out of money and in debt.

“We made some decisions that I think with the benefit of hindsight I would have done differently. I think if we had it to do over again, we would have probably metered out our resources lighter earlier so we could have made them last longer,” Pawlenty said. “Instead, we went for a more dramatic piece of progress in that early Iowa contest, and I think we should have made a different decision.”

Pawlenty invested much of his energy an attempt to win the Iowa Straw Poll, but nevertheless placed third.

He also told the Star Tribune that he regretted blowing all his money on the race in Iowa, which is generally considered to be more friendly to conservative candidates. In an on-air interview at MPR Tuesday, Pawlenty said consultants urged him to throw “red meat” issues to voters, but that his personality is more Midwestern.

Pawlenty has endorsed Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination and is scheduled to host a Twin Cities fundraiser for the former Massachusetts governor next month.

In a Politico posting that blended former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s campaign talking points with those of Mitt Romney, Pawlenty made the case that Romney has the best shot at beating Pres. Barack Obama in 2012.

Pawlenty argued he’s in a good position to judge Romney’s chance at the Oval Office because of his two statewide election wins in “blue state” Minnesota.

Pawlenty, who has officially backed Romney, warned that Pres. Barack Obama shouldn’t be underestimated, and said Republicans shouldn’t waste this opportunity by nominating a “vulnerable candidate.”

Pawlenty also took a veiled swipe at Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

“While Romney has long seen that Social Security has severe, long-term financial problems, he favors saving and protecting the program by fixing those problems,” Pawlenty wrote. “He has not denounced the program—as some have done—and called it unconstitutional. He has not proposed that Social Security be turned over to state governments.”

Pawlenty said those positions on Social Security are “untenable” and would “cost Republicans dearly in the election.”

The Romney campaign has recently targeted Perry on his Social Security stances, which use 10th Amendment rhetoric to appeal to the right-wing of the Republican Party. As the Washington Post notes, it’s not clear that those criticisms have hurt Perry in the polls yet.

The Minnesota Independent covered a variety of issues this week, from in-depth looks at U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s inner circle to a state Senate special election primary in Minneapolis.

Pres. Barack Obama’s job plan went to Congress, where it’s expected to face opposition from Minnesota Republicans despite White House claims that the plan would create up to 100,000 jobs in the state.

In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a PAC aligned with Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann put out another ad, this one painting Texas Gov. Rick Perry as soft on immigration. The radio uses the slogan “illegals take jobs.”

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty left the Republican presidential race with an impressive debt, this week’s endorsement of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will likely help ease the burden. (Comedian Stephen Colbert said Pawlenty’s endorsement was like Miracle Whip endorsing mayonnaise). As Romney’s spokesman said: ”If Tim Pawlenty wants our help, that’s something we’d help him with, just as we help all our friends.” Texas Gov. Rick Perry snagged a handful of Pawlenty supporters despite Pawlenty’s endorsement of Romney.

As his formal presidential rivals continue to trudge through the primary process, Pawlenty is planning a vacation; he’ll attend the annual National Review cruise as a guest speaker.

In the Republican tea party debate, Perry came under attack by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for his support of an HPV vaccine mandate. Bachmann later went even further, linking theHPV vaccine to “mental retardation,” which all experts say is false. Despite a storm of criticism, Bachmann has stood firm, saying she never misrepresented herself as a doctor or scientist. Bachmann’s argument against Perry and the drug company, Merck, is now being used in California to urge a veto of that state’s HPV vaccination mandate.

Bachmann spent the days after the debate wooing controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has kept prisoners in tent cities with extreme heat and provided inadequate food.

The Minnesota Independent’s Andy Birkey dug into the beliefs of Bachmann’s main supporters, finding fringe ideas like abolishing public education and even a terrorism charge for stockpiling guns in Uganda.

In Minnesota, the employment rate is stagnant, with 7.2 percent unemployment.

Minnesota for Marriage, a coalition of conservative Christian groups that are working to convince voters to back a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, has signed on the former communications director of the Minnesota Family Council in the run-up to the 2012 vote.

Lynne Torgerson launched her campaign against U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison on 9/11. She said Ellison is a “radical Islamist” who wanted to install Sharia law into the Constitution. Ellison said that this whole movement to ban Sharia law that no one is trying to install in the United States “is a very thin-disguised effort at religious persecution of people who are Muslim.”

Bradlee Dean, head of the You Can Run But You Cannot Hide ministry, was also back in the news with an open letter to Pres. Barack Obama.

A piece in the New York Times about conflict in the Anoka-Hennepin School District brought the issue of harassment of LGBT youth to the nation’s attention. The Minnesota Independent published a primer on the issue, giving a background to the reporting we’ve done on it for the last two years. Citing the school district, U.S. Sen. Al Franken called for an end to discrimination against LGBT students.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz joined the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which now includes 122 House members. Ellison and U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum also signed a letter with 72 other members of Congress urging the IRS to clarify tax rules for legally married same-sex couples—the rules are confusing and contradictory, they said. Members of Congress also announced the HIV/AIDS caucus, although no members of the Minnesota delegation are signed on.

In the special election primary for Senate District 61, state Rep. Jeff Hayden came out on top with DFLers, but Sadik Warfa made a strong showing, demonstrating the growing political clout of the state’s Somali-American population.

In Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, former congressman Rick Nolan picked up a slew of big-name Iron Range endorsements in his bid for the DFL nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack.

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While his former rivals for the Republican presidential nomination will still be slugging it out in early primary states, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will be wined and dined as a guest speaker on the annual cruise of the conservative National Review.

The cruise will host guest speakers like former United States representative to the United Nations John Bolton, Star Tribune columnist James Lileks and former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed.

The cruise website heralds Pawlenty’s accomplishments as Minnesota governor: “[Pawlenty] supported requiring visa expiration dates on driver’s licenses, a 24-hour waiting period on abortions, implementing the state’s conceal-carry gun law and changing the state’s education requirements.”

The ship will depart from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and swing past Grand Turk, San Juan and St. Thomas during the Nov. 12-19 cruise. Cabins range from $2,399 to $6,999. Tourists will enjoy “plenty of chances to meet, schmooze and enjoy personal interaction with our special guest speakers,” according to the cruise website.

The National Review cruise gained some negative attention in 2007 when the Independent newspaper of the U.K., sent reporter Johann Hari to cover the event. Hari described a “ship of fools,” where jokes about violence against Muslims, immigrants and liberals were common and old ladies went from “sweet to suicide-bomb in six seconds.” (Hari was later embroiled in a ethics scandal about correct attribution of quotes in high-profile interviews).

Still, this trip promises to be more placid than the recently contentious Republican nomination struggle Pawlenty dropped out of last month: “The cruise will include cocktail receptions, evening cigar and cognac smokers, dinners together, group excursions, and seminar sessions.”

Texas Gov. Rick Perry today announced additional staff joining his campaign’s Iowa leadership team, including five former members of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty‘s 2012 presidential campaign.

Matt Whitaker, formerly Gov. Pawlenty’s Iowa chairman, will join the Iowa Perry campaign as statewide co-chairman, serving alongside current statewide chairman, Robert Haus.

“We have a strong Iowa team that will help me take my vision to get America working again all across the Hawkeye State,” said Perry. “I am proud to have these top-notch individuals leading our efforts in Iowa, helping carry my record and vision for job creation and fiscal conservatism to caucus voters.”

Whitaker is managing partner of Whitaker Hagenow GBMG law firm in Des Moines. He served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2004 to 2009. Whitaker also earned a bachelor’s degree, law degree and master of business administration degree from the University of Iowa. As an undergraduate, Whitaker was a tight end on the 1990 Big Ten Champion football team and played in the 1991 Rose Bowl and the 1991 Holiday Bowl.

Gov. Perry also named several individuals to the Iowa field team, including:

• Rob Anderson, Central Iowa, formerly served as regional field director on the Pawlenty campaign; received bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Barbara
• Robert Crawford, Statewide Volunteer Coordinator, formerly served on the Robertson for President campaign and has worked as a Realtor in Virginia, California and Iowa; attended University of Iowa
• Rachelle Crawford, Des Moines Headquarters, formerly worked as an educator in Virginia; earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa
• Gabe Haugland, North Central Iowa, served in the U.S military and led more than 50 combat missions in Operation Enduring Freedom; was a previous Cerro Gordo County organizer for Pawlenty; received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and a law degree from Drake University
• Travis Holler, Northwest Iowa, formerly served as a regional field director for the Pawlenty campaign and aide to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell; received a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University
• Annie McEniry, Northeast Iowa, formerly worked as a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, legislative correspondent for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s Senate Finance Committee, and served on the Iowa Branstad-Reynolds 2010 campaign and the McCain-Palin presidential campaign; received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa
• Dane Nealson, Central Iowa, former served as a field representative on Pawlenty campaign, served as chairman of Iowa Federation of College Republicans and worked on Huckabee for President campaign; received bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University
• Drew Selden, Southwest Iowa, served as scheduler and researcher on Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley 2010 campaign and worked as PGA Tournament Director in West Palm Beach, Fla.; received bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University
• Mike Thom, Southeast Iowa, formerly served as field representative for Pawlenty campaign and legislative clerk in Iowa House of Representatives; received a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and master of public administration from Drake University

Perry previously announced Matt Gronewald as state director, Haus as state chairman and Ruth Haus as a senior consultant.

News of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s endorsement of Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination rippled all the way to Comedy Central’s Colbert Report Monday.

“Just weeks ago these two men were bitter rivals, opposite in every way. And look at them now, it’s like Miracle Whip endorsing mayonnaise,” Stephen Colbert said.

Romney also had Pawlenty backstage as his guest at last night’s CNN and tea party debate, which Colbert said was fitting: ”Plus one, also the number of votes his endorsement has brought to the Romney campaign.”

Pawlenty appeared on Colbert’s show last week, where Pawlenty joked that he considered shooting sparks out of his butt to add campaign excitement.

Considering that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty vowed to continue his 2012 presidential campaign regardless of the results of the Iowa Straw Poll, it was a bit of a surprise when he called it quits the day after he finished third place.

But the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein reports that money may have been the deciding factor in his decision to drop out of the race. Anonymous Republicans told Stein that the campaign may be in debt up to $500,000, although other sources said that figure was exaggerated.

Other former Pawlenty supporters confirmed that there was a financial motive to Pawlenty’s withdrawal from the race.

“If there was any mistake, we should have not put as much emphasis on the Iowa straw poll and had a plan that would have carried us through to January, but that became financially impossible,” former congressman and Pawlenty backer Vin Weber told MinnPost‘s Devin Henry in an interview published Monday. Weber is now supporting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

The Pawlenty campaign doesn’t need to disclose how much it spent in the last few months until Oct. 15, but by July, the campaign managed to raise almost $4.5 million, according to records from the Federal Election Commission. In the three months covered by the July quarterly disclosure filing (a period ending on June 30), Pawlenty spent about $2.5 million, leaving $2 million in the bank.

Pawlenty has yet to endorse another candidate.

Some of Tim Pawlenty’s former Iowa supporters have found a home with Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

Iowa Rep. Linda Miller of Bettendorf and  Dallas County Recorder Chad Airhart of Waukee have both joined Romney’s leadership team, according to the Iowa Independent.

“Mitt Romney is the candidate we need to put this country back on the right track,” said Miller. “As governor, he balanced the budget and created jobs without raising taxes. He knows what is needed to get the economy moving again and has the private sector and government experience to do just that.”

Pawlenty dropped out of the race following a dismal showing in the Iowa Straw Poll on Aug. 13. Iowapolitics.com reported that some Pawlenty’s supporters were being pursued by other campaigns within a day of his withdrawal from the race.

Pawlenty repeatedly used Romney’s support for Massachusetts healthcare reform as a punchline during the campaign, calling it “Obamney-care,” although he declined to repeat the charge in a face-to-face June debate.

The Star Tribune reported that former U.S. Rep. Vin Weber of Minnesota has also thrown his weight behind Romney, perhaps giving Romney some sway over Minnesota Republicans, who overwhelmingly supported Pawlenty financially over other candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records.