Tim Pawlenty Losing Airtime To Donald Trump

Ben Smith points to an interesting trend.

Donald Trump is overshadowing the 2012 field in terms of sheer television coverage. For example, Tim Pawlenty has been building up a serious presidential apparatus for months, but nearly all the television networks have devoted far more coverage to Trump's potential bid:

Mentions on the networks last month, Trump vs. Pawlenty

CNN
Trump: 41
Pawlenty: 38

Fox News Network
Trump: 23
Pawlenty: 20

NBC News
Trump: 8
Pawlenty: 7

ABC News
Trump: 6
Pawlenty: 5

CBS News
Trump:1
Pawlenty:2

(Numbers via LexisNexis transcripts)

Well come on! Tim Pawlenty doesn't have a bazillion dollars, his own (terrible) reality TV series, and a badass catch phrase. How can he compete with The Donald?!

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Photo: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images