Tim Pawlenty to formally announce 2012 White House run

Former Minnesota Governor and likely Republican Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty speaks at the Americans for Prosperity Foundation's ''Presidential Summit on Spending and Job Creation'' in Manchester, New Hampshire April 29, 2011.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Tim Pawlenty, a conservative former governor of Minnesota, will formally announce his 2012 presidential bid on Monday at a campaign event in Iowa, a Pawlenty aide said.

Pawlenty had formed a committee in March to explore a White House run, as Republicans begin to line up for the right to challenge President Barack Obama's re-election.

Pawlenty was the sole top-tier contender to participate in the first Republican presidential debate in South Carolina earlier this month, and he has been traveling for months to try to woo supporters in states with crucial early nominating contests like Iowa.

The Iowa stop on Monday will be a town hall meeting where he will be introduced by his wife Mary. Pawlenty also will visit Florida, New Hampshire, New York and Washington D.C. later in the week.

Pawlenty has highlighted his work balancing the budget as governor of Minnesota and his support for spending cuts and reduced government as he courts conservatives who often dominate the Republican nominating process.

He has been mired in single digits in most national opinion polls of the Republican race, behind rival Mitt Romney and several other Republicans who have announced they will not seek the nomination, including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and real estate tycoon Donald Trump.

(Reporting by John Whitesides; Editing by Philip Barbara)