Tim Pawlenty ends 2012 White House bid

Tim Pawlenty.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Pawlenty told supporters on a conference call Sunday morning that he would announce on ABC's "This Week" that he was ending his campaign after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll on Saturday.

The poll was a test of organizational strength and popularity in the state whose caucuses lead off the Republican nomination fight.

Pawlenty had struggled to gain traction in Iowa, a state he had said he must win, after laying the groundwork for a campaign for nearly two years.

He's been eclipsed in polls in recent months by his Minnesota rival, congresswoman Michele Bachmann. She won the straw poll on Saturday.