If there’s truth to the hype and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty does make a 2012 presidential bid, he’s going to have a lot of work to do.  According to a recent poll, if the election were today, Pawlenty wouldn’t even beat Barack Obama on his own turf.  

"Asked who they would vote for in the 2012 presidential election, 51 percent of Minnesota voters picked Obama and 40 percent said Pawlenty. That’s wider than the 54-44 margin by which Obama carried the state against Sen. John McCain last fall," the Pioneer Press reports.  

Pawlenty has yet to officially confirm that he’s planning a presidential campaign, though he’s been widely expected to do so since he announced he wouldn’t be seeking a third term in June.  

Stay tuned.