Tim Pawlenty Hits the Radio Airwaves in Iowa

While a fellow Minnesotan in U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is garnering the headlines and momentum in the Republican presidential contest, former Gov. Tim Pawleny looked to get some wind in his sails this week as he released a new radio ad playing in Iowa.

Minnesota, says the announcer in the ad. Not exactly a conservative place. Then came Tim Pawlenty, widely recognized as the most conservative governor in Minnesota history.

For decades, Minnesota spending had grown at 20 percent, the announcer continues. Tim Pawlenty shrank that down to 1 percent, and cut spending in real terms for the first time in history. But that's not all. Pawlenty did heath care reform the right way.No mandates. No takeovers. And on nominating judges? Pro-life Pawlenty turned a liberal Supreme Court into a conservative one.

If I can do it in Minnesota, we can do it in Washington, insists Pawlenty in the ad.

So far, the former Minnesota governor is not exactly setting the Hawkeye State on fire trailing Mitt Romney and Bachmann in the polls. But he does seem to be a popular second choice for many of the Iowa voters -- a decent enough base if one of the front-runner's slips. Still, that did not work for Lamar Alexander, and Pawlenty --who is from next door in Minnesota -- has a lot more riding on Iowa.