The race to be the Republican Party's presidential candidate has taken a twist with the sudden exit of a contender regarded as a safe establishment choice.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty finished a distant third in a 'straw poll' on Saturday in Iowa and has announced he's out.
''The pathway forward for me doesn't exist,'' Mr Pawlenty told ABC TV.
Michele Bachmann, a Congresswoman from Minnesota, won the non-binding poll.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul finished a close second.
Mr Pawlenty spent about two years preparing his campaign and building funds. He poured much of that money into Iowa before the vote, but languished in opinion polls after Mrs Bachmann entered the race.
About 17,000 voters took part in the straw poll, in what is considered the first big test of the 2012 presidential race.
National front-runner Mitt Romney did not actively take part in the Iowa contest and neither did Texas Governor Rick Perry, who announced his candidacy on Saturday.
The first official Iowa primaries in the race for the White House are in five months.
The ABC reports there is now concern within the Republican Party that it could blow its chances in 2012 by choosing a candidate too extreme for middle America.