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Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels “Would Like to Run For President”

By Art Gallagher

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels would like to run for president, according to an article in The Huffington Post that quotes a Daniels advisor.

Convincing his wife, Cheri, to support his presidential bid is said to be Daniels challenge.   The Daniels divorced in 1993 and remarried in 1997.  Cheri married and divorced another man during that four year period.  She is said to be reluctant to expose that period of her life to the media spotlight of a presidential campaign.

In addition to his marriage, Daniels will face questions about his role as a senior executive at Eli Lily from 1990 until 2001 when he became President George W. Bush’s budget director.  During his tenure at Lily, the drug maker paid $2.7 billion in fines and damages in criminal and civil matters concerning for illegally marketing two of its drugs.  Lily has said that Daniels had nothing to do with the agreements to settle the criminal charges.

If he gets into the race, Daniels could dominate what is considered by most a weak field on GOP candidates considering a challenge to President Obama in 2012.  He is considered a strong fiscal conservative.  As governor, he put an end to collective bargaining for public service workers, expanded school vouchers, and signed a bill that defunded Planned Parenthood.

Daniels turned a budget deficit into an budget surplus in Indiana.  How he did it will cause some tap dancing for any New Jersey Republicans who decide to back the head Hoosier.  He leased Indiana’s East-West toll road to foreign investors for 75 years, raising $3.8 billion dollars.  Sound familiar?  Jon Corzine might still be governor had he not emulated Daniel’s plan to restructure New Jersey’s fiscal mess.

Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio is considering toll road monetization in Ohio.  Governor Chris Christie is not likely to do so in New Jersey.

Daniels has close ties to Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, going back to the 1970’s when Lugar was mayor of Indianapolis.  He ran Lugar’s senate office and his campaigns.  He was political director in the Reagan White House, turned down an opportunity to be appointed to Dan Qualye’s U.S. Senate seat to enter the private sector and returned to government service as  Bush’s budget director.

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Posted: May 10th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 2012 Presidential Politics | Tags: | 4 Comments »

4 Comments on “Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels “Would Like to Run For President””

  1. MLaffey said at 8:27 am on May 10th, 2011:

    Pawlenty is fiscally and socially a conservative. Did a great job in Minnasota and has no albatross hanging around his neck like romney care or divorces or controversial records at a private company. He is a solid serious candidate.
    He may not be the most charasmatic candidate but charisma does not seem to be working out for us.

    I don’t understand why he is not getting more serious consideration.

  2. ArtGallagher said at 8:57 am on May 10th, 2011:

    MLaffery,

    Pawlenty has more problems than lack of charisma, though that is probably his biggest problem at this point.

    Minnesota is a strange state politically because of how strongly third party candidates perform. Pawlenty was elected twice, but with less than a majority both times.

    If he gets enough traction that the media and his opponents start talking about his record as governor, his stock will probably rise with Republicans, yet could be a mixed bag with the general electorate.

    He had a government shutdown, balanced the budget with one shot gimmicks and was found by the Minnesota Supreme Court to have exceeded his constitutional authority in cutting spending through something called “unallotment”

    While he refused to raise taxes, he raised “fees,” including tuition at state university by double digits.

    He might not even carry his home state and it is unlikely he will gain traction in the early money race.

  3. Freespeaker1976 said at 10:14 am on May 10th, 2011:

    Daniels would end up going nowhere given the marital history. The media will hound him.

    Besides, why should the media be picking our candidates. We saw that happen with McCain.

  4. brian said at 10:21 am on May 10th, 2011:

    HERMAN CAIN 2012