The Hill News

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) continued creeping toward a run for president, releasing a new video on Tuesday promoting his speech over the weekend at a Tea Party convention.

Pawlenty released a new video, entitled "Tea Party: A New Birth of Freedom," talking up the grassroots conservative activists who fueled Republican victories in 2010, and who may play a large role in the 2012 elections as well.

{mosads}"I think the Tea Party is a great addition to the conservative coalition and the coalition for change in this country," Pawlenty said in the video. "I think the Tea Party is a welcome, helpful, energetic, forward-leaning organization."

The video is the latest highly-produced, campaign-like video from Pawlenty, who's seriously considering running for president. The video features dramatic music and image cuts, keeping with the almost movie trailer-like motif that's dominated the Minnesotan's other videos.

This vide! o comes after Pawlenty's speech over the weekend to the American Policy Summit, the first annual gathering sponsored by Tea Party Patriots, a major umbrella group in that movement. Pawlenty placed second in a straw poll of conference attendees, 16 percent of whom said they'd like to see the former governor be the Republican nominee in 2012.