Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty doesn't think his third place finish at the Ames straw poll was too shabby. While Pawlenty said earlier this week that he'd have to "reassess" his candidacy if he did very badly, he issued a statement this evening saying that he "made progress" and the campaign is "just beginning."
“Congratulations to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann for her victory in today's straw poll," Pawlenty said. "We made progress in moving from the back of the pack into a competitive position for the caucuses, but we have a lot more work to do. This is a long process to restore America -- we are just beginning and I'm looking forward to a great campaign."
Pawlenty spent $1 million and won 2,293 votes, or 13.6% of the vote, which was less than half of Michele Bachmann's 28.6% or Ron Paul' 27.7%.