Some have criticized Tim Pawlenty for his inability to gain traction in his nascent bid for the White House.  The former Minnesota governor, however, knows a thing or two about winning.  While Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney are soaking in high poll numbers and receiving typical front runner critiques because of it, Pawlenty is travelling the country shaking hands and introducing himself.  Instead of high profile speeches, the likable brawler from South St. Paul is recruiting an army of Party faithful to recruit support on his behalf.

Just last week, Pawlenty was in Florida stealthily shoring up support among future Republican leaders.  In a press release, Team Pawlenty announced key endorsements from Speakers Designate Will Weatherford, Chris Dorworth, and Richard Corcoran.  These powerhouse state representatives are sure to bring along plenty of other legislative endorsements as well as high dollar donors.  With some pundits prematurely calling the Pawlenty campaign dead, Republicans think back to a time when the McCain campaign had no money and polled in the single digits.  The truth is, T-Paw has plenty of time to lock down establishment support and bring in campaign cash.  For now, he should let other pioneers take all the arrows.

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Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty formally announced his candidacy for president on Monday. In Iowa, Pawlenty called on America to face up to hard truths. He said, "The hard truth is that there are no longer any sacred programs." To Iowa voters, that means a phase out of ethanol subsidies, which could be a hard sell in a state that benefits disproportionately from those subsidies. According to Pawlenty, "Politicians are often afraid that if they’re too honest, they might lose an election. I’m afraid that in 2012, if we’re not honest enough, we may lose our country." H/T RCP.

News broke this weekend that Mitch Daniels will not be running for president. Less surprisingly, we also found out that Tim Pawlenty will forge ahead and seek the GOP nomination. Perhaps no candidate has more to gain from Daniels's exit, especially after Mike Huckabee's recent decision not to run. Huckabee and Daniels would have been tough competition for Pawlenty in Iowa, where Team Pawlenty knows their candidate must either win or take a strong second. With Romney strongly favored in his neighboring New Hampshire, the two early states could prove to be king makers once again in 2012.  According to the Washington Post, the Obama campaign thinks, “Unless it’s Palin or Gingrich, we expect a very close race no matter who emerges.”

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