Following up on Gov. Tim Pawlenty's decision to drop out of a conservative group's presidential straw poll, he said Friday that his trade mission in Asia is the sole reason he withdrew, according to the Associated Press.
Pawlenty is concluding a trade trip to China and Japan this weekend, which will keep him from the Value Voters Summit in Washington. The meeting of conservatives includes a preference ballot allowing delegates to say who they favor for 2012.
Pawlenty's name was originally on the ballot, but he asked to remove it. He told Minnesota reporters on a conference call Friday that he "didn't think it would be appropriate to participate" in the poll if he couldn't otherwise attend the conference. Fellow Minnesota Republican, Rep. Michele Bachmann, will speak to the group and have her name listed on the ballot. Pawlenty says he has "a great amount of respect and admiration" for Bachmann.
