Tim Pawlenty has been working hard to make inroads among evangelical voters ahead of next year's GOP primary, and it appears his efforts might be working.
A new poll of evangelical leaders by the National Association of Evangelicals finds that a plurality of those surveyed—45 percent—want Pawlenty to be the 2012 Republican nominee. Mitt Romney trailed, with 14 percent support, while 22 percent said they were undecided.
As The Ticket previously reported, Pawlenty has sought to cast himself as an alternative to Romney among social conservatives, who remain skeptical about the ex-Massachusetts governor's standing on issues like abortion.
Earlier this week, Romney was criticized for refusing to sign a sweeping anti-abortion pledge sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List.
But some leading evangelicals have openly questioned whether Pawlenty has the charisma to beat Romney or President Obama.
In February, Richard Land, policy chief of the Southern Baptist Convention, said Pawlenty was a "nice guy" but he "doesn't move crowds the way some do."
(Photo of Pawlenty: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
