One-time association CEO Tim Pawlenty lost his bid for a political comeback Tuesday, and for a third term as Minnesota's governor, in an election many political observers believe shows the grip President Donald Trump has on the Republican Party's base.

Pawlenty became head of Financial Services Roundtable in 2012 after a lengthy career in politics. He previously served two terms as Minnesota's governor, from 2003 to 2011, and ran an unsuccessful campaign to capture the GOP presidential nomination during the 2012 election season. He announced his new campaign for governor shortly after resigning from FSR in March. A few months later the association merged with The Clearing House Association to become the Bank Policy Institute.

Almost alone among association CEOs, Pawlenty was sharply and publicly critical of Trump before the 2016 election, calling the candidate "unsound, uninformed, unhinged and unfit" to be president. After Trump's election, Pawlenty was careful to make more optimistic statements about Trump's policies and working with the Trump administration.

Still, Pawlenty kept his distance from Trump during his gubernatorial campaign. He skipped the state's GOP convention in June, and the party endorsed Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. Pawlenty lost to Johnson in the Aug. 14 primary, with totals (as of Wednesday morning) showing Johnson with 53 percent of the vote to Pawlenty's 44 percent.

Current Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, is not seeking re-election. Johnson will face U.S. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) in November.

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