Politics | Tim Pawlenty Tim Pawlenty to Declare 2012 Bid Announcement to come Monday, aide says By Kevin Spak Posted May 20, 2011 10:42 AM CDT Copied Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaks to reporters following a Tea Party tax day rally April 15, 2011 outside the Statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire. (Getty Images) Tim Pawlenty will make the obvious official on Monday: He is indeed running for president. An aide tells Politico that Pawlenty will announce his bid alongside his wife at a town hall in Des Moines. Pawlenty was the first candidate to launch an exploratory committee two months ago, making his bid more or less a sure thing. Read These Next A space capsule carrying ashes of 160 people crashed in the ocean. A lesson in minding your own business ... at 30,000 feet. The death toll in the Texas floods has risen to 27, including 9 kids. Desperate search for missing campers continues in Texas. Report an error