AMES, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty says a top campaign adviser was wrong to suggest GOP rival Michele Bachmann's popularity was due partly to her "sex appeal."
Pawlenty's national campaign chairman Vin Weber made the comment during an interview with Fox News. Weber was explaining why he thought Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, would be difficult to beat in Iowa's leadoff nominating caucuses set for February.
Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor, told The Associated Press before a campaign stop in Ames, Iowa that Weber wasn't speaking for the campaign and "you shouldn't use sex appeal in evaluating a candidate's fitness for office."
Weber apologized for the comment in a statement from the campaign.
Bachmann recently finished near the top in an Iowa poll. Pawlenty was campaigning in northern and central Iowa Wednesday.
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