Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman

Every four years there are candidates who, despite having impressive resumes and solid national credentials, flop badly in their pursuit of their party’s presidential nomination.

Prominent governors, powerful senators and respected congressmen march into Iowa and New Hampshire as giants, and leave as dwarves. Every election cycle has them -- Chris Dodd, Tommy Thompson, Jim Gilmore, Fred Thompson, Orrin Hatch, Richard Lugar, Arlen Specter, Phil Gramm, Pete Wilson, Tom Harkin, Bob Kerrey, Al Haig, John Glenn, Alan Cranston, Fritz Hollings, even the Sunshine State’s own Reubin Askew. The list of presidential candidates who flop despite their impressive credentials seems endless.

The field for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination is shaping up as no exception, with some candidates woefully underperforming in the early going.

Newt Gingrich

No candidate in the field has lost as much luster as former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Following his resignation from Congress, Gingrich spent the better part of a decade building his own operations and becoming one of the elder statesmen and idea generators for the Republican Party.

While he never led the polls, Gingrich did well at first, but since entering the race he has stumbled badly. Conservatives turned against Gingrich after he spurned the budget backed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The former House speaker faced massive staff upheaval after most of his team resigned when their candidate spent more time on vacation than in Iowa or New Hampshire. Along with fundraising woes, renewed questions about his personal life and inquiries about his personal finances, including a line of credit at Tiffany’s, and Gingrich’s star is dimmer now than it was before he entered the race.

But Gingrich, who is sliding down in the polls, is not alone among Republican candidates heading in the wrong direction.

Tim Pawlenty

After winning two elections in Minnesota and making the shortlist to be John McCain’s running mate in 2008, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty appeared ready to make a splash in the 2012 race. But so far, despite assembling an impressive campaign team and a solid collection of endorsements, Pawlenty has not done well.

He has a lot riding in Iowa, which neighbors his home state, but he’s losing ground to another candidate from Minnesota -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Despite making noise that he was going to attack Mitt Romney -- the front-runner for the nomination -- on health care, Pawlenty did not launch it during a debate. With lackluster fundraising, Pawlenty could be left stranded after Iowa where he continues to poll poorly.

Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman also has impressive credentials but is not making a dent in the polls. After time in the Reagan White House, he served in the Commerce department and as ambassador to Singapore under George H.W. Bush. He was a solid governor of Utah. When Barack Obama reached out across party lines to name him ambassador to China, Huntsman gained valuable experience with a country whose importance increases every year. But, despite a heavily hyped campaign launch, Huntsman has lagged in almost every single poll and is now losing parts of his team with veteran Florida Republican operative Susie Wiles resigning earlier in the  week as his campaign manager.

Other stumblers

Some of the dark horses are also stumbling badly. Despite his eight years of controlling spending as governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson has simply not been able to compete with Ron Paul for the support of libertarian and anti-war Republicans. While Buddy Roemer entered the race as an extreme underdog, the former Louisiana governor and congressman has not been able to make a dent in the race despite his impressive oratory and reform agenda.