Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party's nomination for U.S. president. REUTERS

Republican presidential candidate and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has named the daughter of 2008 Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee to a key campaign post help boost his strength in Iowa.

Pawlently's campaign says Sarah Huckabee Sanders begins Tuesday as the former Minnesota governor's senior adviser for the state's Republican straw poll.

The August 13 event at Iowa State University is seen as a test of strength for Republican presidential candidates ahead of the leadoff caucuses, set for February.

Sanders was Huckabee's 2008 national political director. Huckabee finished second in the August straw poll and surged to win the caucuses.