Tim who? After seven years, Iowans hardly know Pawlenty

Nearly three-quarters of Iowans aren’t sure how they feel about Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, according to a new Iowa Poll. Despite living just across the border from the state he has governed for almost seven years, only 27 percent of Iowans had any opinion about Pawlenty when polled by the Des Moines Register: 17 percent had favorable feelings while 10 percent felt unfavorably towards T-Paw.

The newspaper asked residents of the nation’s first presidential caucus state how they viewed seven potential contenders for the 2012 GOP nomination. Only Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal inspired less feeling than Pawlenty, with 74 percent unsure how they felt about him.

None of the others’ home states are anywhere near as close geographically to Iowa as Pawlenty’s: Arkansas (Mike Huckabee), Alaska (Sarah Palin), Virginia (Newt Gingrich), Massachusetts (Mitt Romney) and New York (George Pataki).

Pawlenty began his cross-border courtship of Iowa Republicans earlier this month with a widely watched speech to the state’s party activists.

[Via Hot Dish Politics]