Pawlenty announces exploratory committee for presidential run

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said Monday afternoon he had created an exploratory committee to run for president.

Pawlenty, in a video posted Monday on his Facebook site, formally announced he’d formed an exploratory committee to run for president, the first step toward running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

“That’s why, today, I’m announcing the creation of an exploratory committee to run for president of the United States,” Pawlenty said. “Join the team and together, we’ll restore America.”

The move to form an exploratory committee allows Pawlenty, who has been seen as all but certain to run, to begin raising money and building the infrastructure to mount a campaign for the Republican nomination.

The video features a series of patriotic snapshots, and its high production value mirrors those previously released by Pawlenty, who had only before been flirting with a presidential bid.

The two-minute-long spot features a number of shots of Pawlenty during his tours across the country and highlights his record as governor of Minnesota. It also pays tribute to former presidents Reagan and Lincoln.

Minnesota’s Democrats pounced on the former governor’s announcement, calling him a “failed absentee governor” in a release.

“Our former governor’s announcement of an Exploratory Committee shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at this point — he’s spent the better part of his last two years in office ignoring the needs of his state while trying to woo the Republican base,” said Ken Martin, the chairman of the state Democratic Party.

“There’s nothing in Tim Pawlenty’s record that suggests he should get a promotion. Tim Pawlenty has failed at running the state he was supposed to lead at every turn — and no amount of exploring will change that simple fact,” Martin added.

The move makes Pawlenty the first major candidate to throw his hat in the ring. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) had built anticipation earlier this month that he’d announce an exploratory committee, but instead announced that he’d launched a website to help him decide whether to run.

Pawlenty’s taken a relatively conventional path so far toward building support for his candidacy. He wrote a new book earlier this year and has traveled extensively in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — the first three states with key nominating contests.

But the former governor, nicknamed “T-Paw,” still polls in the single digits in surveys of Republicans’ preference in a nominee, though those figures are attributable to Pawlenty’s relatively low identification numbers.

This item was first posted at 10:26 a.m. and updated at 10:39 a.m. and 3:11 p.m.