Tim Pawlenty

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced this week the formation of a presidential exploratory committee - the first official step toward a 2012 presidential campaign. Pawlenty has credibility as both a fiscal conservative and as a social conservative, and he passed tax cuts and balanced the budget as Minnesota governor. But some wonder if Pawlenty has the charisma - or the competitive drive - to take home the GOP nomination. In the following slides, CBS News presents scenes from Pawlenty's political career over the past decade.

Pawlenty addresses the crowd at the Tea Party Patriots American Policy Summit at the Phoenix Convention Center February 26, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The former governor has been seeking the support of Tea Party members as he prepared for a campaign.

Pawlenty and his wife Mary, center right, speak to workers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. on March 11, 2011.

New Hampshire, home to the earliest presidential primary, is a key state for all prospective presidential nominees; most potential competitors make frequent trips there to make connections and enlist allies. Pawlenty was one of the first Republicans to campaign in the state.

Pawlenty sits with Jim Brett (L), New England Council CEO, and Father Jonathan DeFelice (R), President of Saint Anselm College during the NH Institute of Politics & Political Library's 'Politics and Eggs' series at the Bedford Village Inn on January 25, 2011 in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Pawlenty, left, jokes with Joe Vallieres following a pick-up hockey game, Friday, March 11, 2011 in Concord, New Hampshire.

Photographers record Pawlenty as he signs copies of his new book, "Courage to Stand," at a Barnes and Noble bookstore January 31, 2011 in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Pawlenty , left, gives former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another likely candidate, a pat on the back at a conservative Freedom Foundation of Minnesota event in Bloomington, Minn. on April 9, 2010.

Pawlenty speaks to the press as then-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a Democrat, listens outside the West Wing of the White House, February 25, 2008 in Washington.

Pawlenty speaks at the Western Conservative Political Action Conference on October 16, 2009 in Newport Beach, California.

Freddie Lee/FOX News Sunday via Getty Images

Pawlenty and former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele attend a taping of FOX News Sunday November 16, 2008 in Washington.

Pawlenty speaks on day four of the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center on September 4, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pawlenty, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Enterprise and Energy Maud Olofsson, and Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner attend the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference March 5, 2008.

Pawlenty speaks to people gathered for a interfaith memorial service at St. Mark's Cathedral to remember the victims of the I-35W bridge collapse August 5, 2007 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The I-35W Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River near the city's downtown, collapsed during rush hour on August 1, 2007.

Pawlenty speaks to the media during a news conference regarding an arrest made in the case of the missing North Dakota student Dru Sjodin December 2, 2003 in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., 50, of Crookston, Minnesota, was arrested for allegedly kidnapping Dru Sjodin, 22, of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota on November 22. Sjodin, a student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, was last seen leaving a local mall in Grand Forks after work.

St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly (L) watches as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty takes the microphone during the NHL's All-Star Weekend on February 3, 2004 in St. Paul, Minnesota.