Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been removed from the list of Republicans included in this weekend's Values Voter Summit 2012 presidential straw poll.

An official with Family Research Council Action, the organization hosting the summit in Washington, said that Pawlenty's name was taken off the ballot at his request. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and South Dakota Sen. John Thune were added to the initial list of candidates.

No, Pawlenty hasn't dropped the idea of mounting a potential presidential run. But the Minnesota governor will still be in China on a trade mission during the summit and chose not to be included in the poll as a result.

"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 said in an e-mail. "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 spoke for the first time at the annual summit last year, and he finished third in that straw poll behind Govs. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

This year's poll now includes 16 candidates, including Rep. Michele Bachmann. She is also scheduled to speak, while Pawlenty will address the convention in a pre-taped video.