A candidate for about one second, Tim Pawlenty is almost done paying back his outstanding campaign debts. As a candidate, Pawlenty never really had a chance at winning the Republican nomination, struggling even before Iowa straw poll back in August that eventually led him to dropout. He paid for that moment in the spotlight. As of the end of last month, the former Minnesotta governor had paid off most of his campaign debts, but $44,670 still remain, reports Politico's Dave Levinthal. "Just $44,670 in debt remained for Pawlenty’s campaign through Jan. 31, down from almost $103,000 at the end of last year and a reported high of more than $450,000," he writes.

Since dropping out Pawlenty has endorsed Mitt Romney, which has proved mutually beneficial since, per Politico, "Romney, his family members and several Bain Capital officials were among those who helped Pawlenty retire debt last year, federal records show."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at rgreenfield at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.