Pawlenty Quits As Romney National Co-Chair
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – One of Mitt's Romney's most fervent supporters has quit as co-chair of his campaign right as the Romney camp is dealing with what campaign insiders have described as the darkest days of his presidential run.
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty quit the campaign Thursday morning to become a lobbyist in Washington, DC as head of the Financial Services Roundtable.
"It is an honor to call Mitt and Ann my friends. As the campaign moves into the home stretch, he has my full support and continued faith in his visions and policies," Pawlenty said in a statement.
For Romney, the move comes amidst turmoil in his campaign over a damaging video that featured the candidate saying his job as president wasn't to care for nearly half of Americans, including many who make up his voting bloc.
Pawlenty, a one-time presidential candidate himself, was the first to drop out of the race and as soon as he did, he pushed Romney to everyone inside and outside the Republican Party. But Romney passed over Pawlenty in favor of Paul Ryan to be his running mate.
The move by Pawlenty may have been a lobbying job, but could also be the first public crack in Romney's campaign, or the beginning of a campaign restructuring as the race heads into the final six weeks of action.
