Earlier this morning, we asked -- as others have -- if Tim Pawlenty made a mistake by getting out of the GOP race.

A Republican involved in the 2012 race emails Politico's Ben Smith arguing that Pawlenty would have never caught fire, even if he remained in the race.

I just can't take any more blog posts on this. He was 500K in debt. He would have had to fire 2/3 of his staff and deal with the exodus stories. And he likely would have had to deal with internal squabbling. (That one-off Daily Caller story would have been more than a one-off if Pawlenty was still around and people were jockeying on the sinking ship).

So we have a candidate who was polling about 4% in Iowa at the time, in debt, looking ahead at a month of terrible press, with no natural political skills to turn it around. He'd have spent the past 3 months banking just on debates, where he wasn't exactly knocking the cover off the ball when he was in the race.

The reality is he would have been the same place now he was then. Broke, 20 points behind Romney and top conservative alternative in Iowa, and in low single digits nationally.

By NBC's Carrie Dann

TAMPA, Florida -- Former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said Monday that the issue of retiring his campaign debt was not a factor in his decision to endorse former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and that his past concerns Romney's health care legislation have been put to rest.

Asked about reports that Romney had promised to help Pawlenty erase his campaign debt, the former Minnesota governor said that he did not consider the lingering financial issues of his campaign when he decided to endorse.

"That wasn't a factor in my endorsement and obviously if he's willing to help with that, we'd love to have his help," he said. "But I anticipate I'll probably end up raising more money for him than he would in terms of anything he might do to help with our campaign debt."

Pawlenty, who previously dubbed Romney the president's "co-conspirator" on Obama's heath care bill, said that Romney convinced him of his promise to repeal the federal health care legislation.

"He's assured me as he's repeatedly assured the nation that one of the most important priorities he'll have as president is to repeal Obamacare," the former Minnesota governor told NBC News in an interview in Tampa, FL.

"What he has said and what I agree with in his perspective is states should be allowed to try things and he thought health care reform the way they did it in Massachusetts was right for Massachusetts," he added. "But most importantly Mitt and I agree it's not right for the rest of the country."

One thing that has changed since Pawlenty's exit from the 2012 field is the skyrocketing poll numbers of Gov. Rick Perry, who has recently shot past Romney in national surveys. But Pawlenty today took no direct shots at Perry, focusing exclusively on Romney's economic record.

He said that Romney presented a more "thoughtful and measured" approach to fixing Social Security but did not use the harsher language Romney is widely expected to employ in tonight's CNN/ Tea Party Express debate.

When Pawlenty dropped out of the race after the Ames straw poll last month, he told ABC News that he did not intend to back another contender "anytime soon." But on Monday he said that he "accelerated" that timeline in order to make a big splash with his nod, deciding that "doing it earlier would have more impact on the race and would be more meaningful towards trying to get Mitt elected president."

But some of that impact could be muted by another big name in Republican politics - Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana -- who this afternoon endorsed Perry.

"I wasn't aware of that," Pawlenty said when NBC asked him about Jindal's endorsement of Perry. "I know Bobby and certainly respect his time as governor of Louisiana. But all the governors are going to be lining up or most of them will for endorsements in the coming weeks and months and I'm proud to be standing with Gov. Romney."

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Appearing together for the first time as partners, not rivals, former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty today announced he was throwing his support behind Mitt Romney for president.

Pawlenty introduced Romney today here, where Romney rolled out his plan for working with labor unions, after the pair toured Boeing’s new plant here -- the subject of a controversial lawsuit filed by the National Labor Relations Board.

Pawlenty, who will become Romney’s national co-chair and will travel with the candidate to Florida for tonight’s CNN/Tea Party debate, was effusive in his praise for his former rival.

“Mitt Romney has the most knowledge, the most capability, the most electability of any candidate in this race,” Pawlenty said.

Pawlenty did not always have such kind words for Romney. He has called Romney a “co-conspirator” on President Obama’s health-care plan, but said today that Romney’s commitment to repealing the program overrode any qualms he had about Romney’s own health-care plan in Massachusetts, often seen as a model for the president’s plan.

“He has also been very clear with me and very clear with the country that when he’s president of the United States, on Day One, he will do everything he can to repeal Obamacare,” Pawlenty told reporters.

Democrats pounced on the apparent contradiction between Pawlenty’s past criticism of Romney’s record on health care and his newfound support for the candidate, but a senior adviser to the Romney campaign told NBC News that Pawlenty's endorsement would help validate "why health care isn't the issue that everyone thinks it is in the primary."

Of course, Democrats have had plenty of former rivals endorse each other, including Hillary Clinton, who went to work as President Obama's Secretary of State.

Romney called the endorsement a “natural fit,” noting that the two have long been friends and their families had recently spent time together.

Both men downplayed the possibility of Pawlenty becoming Romney’s vice-presidential choice, with Romney calling such speculation “presumptuous” and Pawlenty saying he doesn’t want to be considered.

Besides announcing the endorsement, the primary purpose of Romney’s speech was to outline his labor policies. He framed them around the ongoing feud between the NLRB and Boeing, over its decision to locate a billion-dollar plant in non-union South Carolina.

Romney said the NLRB’s suit was an unacceptable example of the board’s interference in private enterprise, and of labor’s political clout with the Democratic Party. 

“There is without a question an egregious example of political payback where the president is able to pay back unions for the hundreds of millions of dollars they put into his campaign at the expense of American workers, of American jobs,” he said.

Romney’s plan includes several major points: Appointing “even-handed arbiters” to the NLRB more in line with Romney’s vision for the board; maintaining the secret ballot for workers voting on unionization; and prohibiting union dues from going directly to political causes. Romney would also overturn President Obama’s executive order giving preference to unionized workers for government contracts.

Romney also received a warm response when he said he would push Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit the NLRB from shutting down Boeing’s facility here. Congressman Tim Scott, a local Tea Party favorite here, has already proposed such legislation.

In a possible preview of tonight’s debate, Romney hinted that the “mulligan” he gave Texas Gov. Rick Perry over his efforts to require teen girls in Texas to receive an HPV vaccine might have expired.

Asked whether his own health-care mandate would preclude him from appealing to South Carolina conservatives, Romney defended himself by pointing to a number of less controversial Massachusetts mandates, including for drivers to own car insurance and for children to go to school. And another controversial mandate in another very specific state.

“Some states, Texas for instance, mandate that young girls, or did mandate that young girls, had to get inoculations for sexually transmitted diseases,” Romney said.

“There are a wide range of mandates, so that’s not breaking new ground. But what we did was right for our state, and simply wrong for our nation,” he added. 

“On the surface, Americans Elect, No Labels and Ruck.us might look like similar groups, complaining about hyper-partisanship and gridlock while trying to dislodge the two-party system. But a closer examination reveals that each group is prescribing its own cure for the country’s problems,” Nathan Gonzales writes in Roll Call.

MINNESOTA: “Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty yesterday definitively ruled out a 2012 campaign for the US Senate after ending his bid for the White House a few days ago,” AP writes. Pawlenty said, “I don’t know what I will be doing next. However, I will not be running against Amy in 2012.”

Christine O’Donnell (remember her?) walked off the set of Piers Morgan’s show after questions about witch craft and gay marriage.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is quitting the presidential race after a disappointing finish at the Ames Straw Poll.

Pawlenty told supporters on a conference call that he would announce on ABC's This Week that he is bringing his campaign to an end.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann won the straw poll with 29% of the vote, edging out Rep. Ron Paul by 152 votes. Paul finished with 28%. Pawlenty, though, who spent months campaigning in Iowa, was doubled up by both Bachmann and Paul, finishing a distant third with 14%.

Pawlenty poured what was left of his resources into the straw poll and couldn't find a way to continue.

*** UPDATE *** Here's some reaction to the Pawlenty exit:

MITT ROMNEY: NBC's Garrett Haake reports Romney's statement: “Tim Pawlenty and his entire team ran an honorable campaign. I admire his accomplishments as a two term Governor with a record of results for his state. I consider him a friend and I know he has a bright future ahead of him as a leader in the Republican Party.”

JON HUNTSMAN: NBC's Jo Ling Kent reports Huntsman's statement: "Tim Pawlenty is an accomplished Governor, a proud conservative, and someone of tremendous character. Our families became close while we were serving together as governors and we are honored to call the Pawlentys dear friends. I know this wasn't an easy decision for Tim and Mary, and I wish them nothing but the best. Tim should be proud that he brought to this race ambitious solutions to turn around our nation's economy and to tackle debt and spending. I hope that all of his supporters continue to stay engaged in this defining election and work with us to ensure that our party wins in November."

SARAH PALIN: NBC's Alex Moe reports from Springfield, IL, that Palin told NBC News at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, "I think we will see more people coming and going" in this campaign cycle. "I hate to see that internal party events would be seen as the barometer for somebody to stay in the race or not. I would love to have seen Pawlenty stay in there and allow the voters to decide not internal political machinery decide who should be in the race and who should not. So I am disappointed that he has dropped out. Pawlenty, he is a good man who worked very hard, had a good record as a governor. He knew how to get along with the boys in the sandbox. He knew when and how to compromise in order to get things done in a blue state - a Republican in a blue state being effective. I have great respect for him and a lot of his staff members too, good guys, good gals. He has a great family. So I really, really hope the best for Gov. Pawlenty; he is a good man, and disappointed that he dropped out.

On whether Pawlenty quitting will impact her decision to run, she said, "No, I think this is more illustration of the comings and goings of a campaign in a very long season of politics. We still have many months to go, and I think we will see more people coming and going."

AMES, IA -- With a half hour left to vote before the 5:00 pm ET deadline, Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty made a final appeal to straw poll voters.

Pawlenty said he looked forward to seeing the crowd throughout Iowa as his campaign continued through the caucuses.

But late in the afternoon, the difference between the former Minnesota governor's supporters and those of his in-state rival Michele Bachmann was noticeably different: Her indoor tent was filled with a tightly packed crowd listening to country-music star Randy Travis, while Pawlenty's tent was sporadically populated with supporters listening to the Christian Rock band Sonic Flood. 

And file this away: At the last stop of Pawlenty's campaign before today's Ames Straw poll, the former Minnesota governor yesterday approached someone his campaign rarely openly welcomes -- a tracker from the liberal leaning organization American Bridge.

Trackers are accustomed to being approached by campaigns, usually in an attempt to get them to leave. But rarely does the candidate seek out trackers -- and perhaps never has a candidate had a request similar to Pawlenty's: He wanted to take a photo with the tracker, telling him: "In case we never see each other again." 

So Pawlenty and a stunned tracker -- who had been following the candidate through Iowa since he announced his run on May 23 -- made their way up to the stage and stood next to each other and smiled while a photographer snapped a photo.

Asked by NBC News whether it meant his campaign is running out of steam, Pawlenty answered, "Will [the tracker's name] has been following us around, and I wanted to make sure we got a picture before whatever is next for him."

AMES, IA -- Tim Pawlenty just spoke to the supporters at his tent, reminding them -- amid his sponsored concert and free Dairy Queen -- that they are here to vote.

"We gotta remember why we're here. I hope you enjoy the sunshine, the wonderful weather, and the breeze. But we're here today because, like you, I love this country."

The campaign reports more than 100 volunteers are here today, all wearing green shirts with Pawlenty's name on the back and the number "12."

The former Minnesota governor said today's crowd shows the level of momentum his campaign has.

In his brief remarks, he continued his assault on President Obama's record, but did not mention of his Republican rivals.

"Unfortunantly, we have a president who wasn't ready for the job, and he's kicking it in the dugout," he said.

"I hope that you all have voted, and if you haven't, I'm going to come out there and give you the what for," he joked. 

But while Pawlenty was speaking with his supporters, he missed an opportunity to appear on the stage inside the official straw-poll arena with his competitors: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Thaddeus McCotter, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Tim Pawlenty helped kick off the start of the "Values Voter Bus Tour" outside the state capital here this morning. But the most notable presence in the crowd were not Pawlenty supporters, rather supporters of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

About 20 Perry supporters -- dressed in Texas Longhorn burnt orange shirts -- were at the event handing out Perry literature and talking to media about why Perry should be the GOP nominee. (There's a bit of irony here, however, considering that Perry went to Texas A&M, not the University of Texas. There's no love lost between the two schools.)

They are part of the group "Americans for Rick Perry," a 527 group that has no official affiliation with the governor.

After the event, Nate Crain, national finance chairman for the organization, said the goal for the Ames straw poll is 150 to 200 write-in votes. Regarding the Texas governor's schedule this weekend, Crain said, "He's not trying to mess with the straw poll, because if he was trying to mess with the straw poll he would just come out and say, 'I'm running for president.'"

Americans for Rick Perry is a six-week old organization, which has been a presence at campaign events throughout Iowa. They will be following the Values Voter bus tour.

SULLY, Iowa -- Tim Pawlenty (R) continued to cite yesterday's economic news as proof President Obama is not capable of fixing the economy.

To a crowd of about 20 people gathered here in the Coffee Cup Cafe, the former Minnesota governor likened the president to "a manure spreader in a wind storm, throwing things in every direction with out focus."

It was his first of six stops throughout Iowa today. 

"The president of the United States addressed the country yesterday afternoon," Pawlenty said. "And we saw in his remarks - both in content and tone - that his call to the nation that he used in 2008 of hope and change became hope and blame. And he began to act like a manure spreader in a wind storm, throwing things in every direction without any real focus."

AMES, IA -- In a media avail after a campaign stop here this morning, the former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said President Obama needs to come out with a specific plan to fix the economy during his remarks this afternoon.

Pawlenty said, "Unfortunately, he spent the first two and a half years of his presidency trying to pass an unconstitutional health-care bill and doing things like trying to shut down the Guantanamo Bay to bring suspected terrorists to the United States. And he should have been working on growing jobs and getting the economy moving and doing the types of things that Standard and Poor's was wanting him to address."

(In fact, what S&P suggested it wanted -- $4 trillion in deficit reduction and a balance of increased revenues and entitlement reform -- was precisely the "grand bargain" Obama wanted to achieve and what congressional Republicans walked away from.)

During his comments to media, Pawlenty also said he does not need to win Saturday's Ames Straw Poll. "Our goal is to move from back of the pack towards the front of the pack. I don't think we need to win it, but I think we need to show some good progress, and I'm confident we will."

WATERLOO, IA -- Tim Pawlenty continued to rebuke of President Obama's economic policies here at a the Black Hawk County Republican women's luncheon.

Pawlenty recounted a conversation he had with a 10-year-old boy, who told him that keeping  taxes low will give people more money.

'We shouldn't have to have a 10 year old know more about the economy than the president of the United States," said Pawlenty. (In fact, Obama has continually cut taxes as president -- whether it was through the stimulus, extending the so-called Bush tax cuts, or enacting payroll tax cuts.)

In his first two stops today, he has remained focused on Obama, and has only generically mentioned the rest of the GOP field.

'His time is up," Pawlenty said of the president. "He's had three years in office. Stick a fork in him. He's done."

SOUTH ST. PAUL, MN -- Steve Sviggum remembers well the day in 2001 when Tim Pawlenty publicly embarrassed him.

Sviggum, then speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, was up to bat in a legislative softball game, and Pawlenty -- House majority leader at the time -- crept up behind him and yanked his pants down.

Two years later, a headline in the Minneapolis Star Tribune read, “Gov. Tim Pawlenty's brand of humor sets him apart as he treads the fine line between jest and jeer.”

“Tim Pawlenty is very much a prankster, a jokester,” Sviggum said.

He -- like many of the former governor’s colleagues and friends -- remembers Pawlenty as the funny and charismatic leader of Minnesota.

And, along with being entertaining, they remember him as the political figure who dominated this state’s politics for the past decade. He’s the Republican who won the governor’s mansion twice; he didn't raise taxes; and, in 2008, he set a state record for most vetoes in a year.

But eight days before his near make-or-break Ames Straw Poll contest, even Pawlenty’s biggest champions cannot put a finger on why the presidential candidate is seen as so unexciting. Or why the former governor’s conservative record is not gaining more traction with voters.

“In my cynical times, I would say there was a press person who didn’t like him and once labeled him bland, and everyone else just followed along,” Sviggum said.

Pawlenty is not running for “entertainer and chief,” as he said on “Meet The Press” last month. And his campaign slogan has been “Results, Not Rhetoric,” a seeming nod to voters to look at his record in Minnesota, not how he delivers his message. In a new mailer being sent to Iowa voters, his wife Mar, said her husband should appeal to voters “looking for someone who can do more than make soaring promises or give fiery speeches about what they hope they might do.”

But in the lead up to the Ames straw poll on Aug. 13, polls suggest Pawlenty’s take-me as-I-am strategy is not yet resonating with voters. The latest Gallup poll shows him garnering just 2% support nationally from Republicans.

Questions about Pawlenty’s attitude and demeanor are common during campaign stops throughout the Hawkeye State. Specifically, voters want to know why he did not go take the opportunity to go after Mitt Romney for the health-care legislation he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts.

“Tim would normally be very aggressive in a situation like that,” Sviggum said. But, he adds, Pawlenty had always been a “team player” -- which may have been the reason why he shied away from directly attacking a fellow Republican.

“This guy has serious talent,” said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. It is the rise of what Jacobs calls “the politics of tweeting” -- the allure of short sound bites and quick criticisms -- that has put Pawlenty at a disadvantage.

“Part of it, frankly, is that thoughtful conservatism ... has lost its appeal,” Jacobs said.

As an outside observer, Daniel Wolter -- who worked as a speech writer for then-Gov. Pawlenty -- sees the disconnect between the politician he knew as governor and the one now running for president. “There’s a charisma factor that hasn’t broken through yet,” he said.

At the Crocian Hall in South St. Paul, where Pawlenty first announced he would run for governor in 2001, there is a common feeling -- he’s a nice guy, but not presidential timber.

“He’s just not politician enough,” said Striuder Goff, a Republican who knew Pawlenty's older brother growing up. “It’s too bad. I’d probably vote for him.”

*** CORRECTION *** Wolter, quoted above, worked for Pawlenty as a communications director, not speechwriter.