Tim Pawlenty resigns from Romney campaign role to lobby

The national co-chairman of Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is resigning to lobby for the financial services industry.

The Financial Services Roundtable announced Thursday that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will become its new president and chief executive officer on Nov. 1.

The roundtable said in a press release that Pawlenty was stepping down from the campaign because the group is a bipartisan organization.

Pawlenty was an early entrant in the Republican presidential campaign, but he ended his bid last year amid poor polling before the primaries began. He was often mentioned as a potential running mate for Romney and has campaigned across the U.S. for the nominee.