Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty and MLB umpire Bruce Dreckman
Full Name: Timothy James Pawlenty
D.O.B.: November 27, 1960
Offices Held: Minnesota Governor (2003-2011), Minnesota State Representative (1993-2003)
Status: Out of the race
Why He Would've Won: Ever since he catapulted to fame as the guy John McCain passed over to be his running mate in favor of Sarah Palin in 2008, Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty has deftly kept his name in the political discourse, even if it was just people asking, "Who is Tim Pawlenty?" In any other election year, Pawlenty's apparent lack of distinguishing politics, a unique biography, or a face most people could pick from a crowd would render him a long-shot for the nomination. Fortunately for the former governor, he posseses one key asset in the 2012 GOP primaries: he's a white guy who's not Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich.
Why He Would've Lost: The living embodiment of "Generic Republican," Pawlenty must convince primary voters to pick the safe choice over far more interesting/crazy candidates like Michele Bachmann or Rick Santorum - not an easy sell when many Republican primaries are decided by anti-establishment tea partiers. And of course, just about the only thing anyone outside of Minnesota remembers about Pawlenty's term as governor was the time a bridge collapsed.
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