Is Pawlenty a second-tier candidate?

Is former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty really a top-tier presidential contender?

The media certainly refer to him as one, often as the alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is widely viewed as the Republican frontrunner. But with his continued poor performance in national primary polls, the expectation that he will not raise more than a few million dollars in the second quarter, and his most recent disastrous showing in the first major poll in Iowa, a state considered essential for him to do well in in order to sustain his candidacy, people are beginning to question Pawlenty’s status as a top-tier candidate. (Pawlenty launches his first Iowa radio ad)