Pawlenty tells AP he won't run for Senate in 2012

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) ruled out a Senate bid in 2012, telling The Associated Press on Wednesday that he wasn't interested in challenging Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

Pawlenty, who dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Sunday following a poor performance at this weekend's Ames straw poll, has said he's interested in being politically involved. But that apparently doesn't include challenging Klobuchar next fall.

"I don't know what I will be doing next," Pawlenty said. "However, I will not be running against Amy in 2012."

Republicans haven't recruited any star candidates to run against Klobuchar, a relatively popular first-term senator who's running for a second term next fall.

Pawlenty, a former two-term governor of Minnesota with some national stature following his failed bid for the presidency, could have been able to raise money and attract enthusiasm for a race against Klobuchar.

Increasingly, it seems as though whatever role Pawlenty seeks in politics will be past 2012; he told ABC in his interview announcing his withdrawal from the presidential campaign that he wasn't interested in serving as someone's vice presidential nominee.