WTHR |Daniels may be considered for national run
Kevin Rader/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - Governor Mitch Daniels may be picking up more than he bargained for when he accepts an award in Washington D.C. Wednesday.
The governor will be presented with the 2008 Public Official of the Year Award from Governing Magazine, as the Republican Party works to rebuild itself.
If there was one thing Daniels has been adamant about, other than his campaign theme of change, it was in his determination to make his re-election campaign his last campaign.
The biggest surprise one week after his re-election victory is that some Republicans now want Daniels to consider a national run.
"Will Governor Daniels set sights higher - perhaps the Oval Office? Some want him to run for president," wrote NY Times columnist William Kristol.
Meanwhile, USA Today calls Daniels the "bright spot for the GOP." In a column in the Washington Post entitled "Governors Know Best," David Broder writes the GOP should look to successful chief executives like Daniels.
"Indiana's Daniels, just re-elected to a second term, may offer the best example of the distinctive approach of these politicians," Broder wrote.
"At the top of that list is Mitch Daniels," said State Republican Party Chairman Murray Clark.
He says the governor is more concerned about Indiana, but he understands the attraction.
"He sticks to his guns, is resolute about sticking to fundamental Republican principles - less government, lower taxes - and at the same time, he relates to everyday people," Clark said.
Daniels' name also surfaced during this week's Meet the Press.
"The fact is that there's a lot of bright stars of our party. Mitch Daniels had an excellent day," said Senator Mel Martinez. "On a day when the Republican ticket lost Indiana, he won re-election overwhelmingly. That's because the kind of governor he's been and the kinds of things he has done."
Some say that begs the question if Daniels really is done after this term, even if he doesn't seem like he's going to change his mind.
"There is always a chance," Clark said.
"At the state level, we have statutory term limits and in the broader sense, we have the Cheri Daniels term limits and the penalty for violating the latter is more severe," Daniels said.
As the poster boy for the Republican Governor's Association, he will most likely be asked to consider it.
