Pawlenty denies any interest in VP job - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty says he wants off the list of potential running mates for Mitt Romney.

The former two-term Minnesota governor emphatically denied any ambition to join the ticket Monday following a policy-heavy speech at the University of Minnesota.

At this time last year, Pawlenty was gearing up for his own White House bid. He ended that just a few months after kicking it off because of a disappointing showing in an Iowa test vote.

Since last fall, Pawlenty has been touring the country on behalf of Romney. Pawlenty wouldn't rule out a potential Cabinet role in a Romney administration, but he said he knows other former governors who were "underwhelmed" by stints leading federal agencies.