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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