Pawlenty at bottom of SRLC straw poll

Gov. Pawlenty has some work to do if he hopes to gain traction among Republicans in the southern states in 2012.

The Southern Republican Leadership Conference held a 2012 straw poll this weekend and Pawlenty finished seventh among a group of nine candidates. He received support from 3 percent of those polled.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney edged Texas Congressman Ron Paul for first place with 24 percent support. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was third followed by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Pawlenty, who canceled his appearance at the New Orleans event because he wanted to attend today's troop ceremony in Minnesota, finished four votes behind Indiana Congressman Mike Pence.

Pawlenty also didn't fare well when respondents were asked for their second choice in 2012. He finished sixth among the same pool of candidates.

You can find the full poll results here.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.