Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty is still anguishing as an also-ran in GOP presidential polls, but he appears to have a potent weapon in his probable run: big-bucks donors.

The Wall Street Journal has a story detailing the wealthy benefactors who have lined up with Pawlenty, many of them donors to both presidents named Bush. Those donors, according to the story, are "a critical constituency" for his candidacy.

The article can be read here.

The story notes Pawlenty's consistently anemic standing in polls of the likely Republican field, but while he's been mired in the single digits, New York Times statistics guru Nate Silver noted this week that at least an increasing number of Americans have actually heard of him:

Silver's analysis can be read here.