Pawlenty becomes first GOP 2012 Presidential contender to announce intention to run
March 22nd, 2011 - 4:16 pm ICT by ANI
Washington, Mar 22 (ANI): Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has become the first Republican to openly declare his intentions of running for the 2012 presidential elections, in a video posted to his Facebook page.
Pawlenty, who is little known in the country compared to his possible contenders, might have taken the step of declaring his intentions earlier than others to generate media attention to uplift his recognition nationally, the BBC reports.
In his video promotion, Pawlenty has claimed that he would form an “exploratory committee” to assess the feasibility of a presidential run. Exploratory committees allow candidates to more easily raise money and hire staff for their campaigns.
“We, the people of the United States, will take back our government,” Pawlenty claimed in the video.
His possible contenders like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Haley Barbour are expected to announce their candidature in the coming months.
The former Governor was a staunch critic of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform bill, and is seen as socially conservative, including opposing abortion and stem cell research. (ANI)
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