Daniels continues to face pressure to seek White House

WISHTV.COM

Jim Shella

Updated: Feb 20, 2012 4:53 PM

There’s new pressure on Mitch Daniels to run for President and the governor addressed it today.  It’s coming from Republicans who fear that none of the leading candidates in the GOP field can defeat Barack Obama.

Daniels, at a downtown speaking engagement confirmed that pressure from Republicans who want to see him in the White House has not let up.  “That’s not new,” he said, “maybe a little more frequent in the last few weeks but I don’t have anything different or new to say about it.”

And while he downplayed it, state GOP Chairman Eric Holcomb says he gets letters and messages from people in all walks of life all over the country.  The governor’s formal GOP response to the State of the Union Address has fueled the communication.  “Folks have resonated to that message,” says Holcomb, “and they’ve inquired, would he reconsider?”

A popular political website, Politico, is now floating the possibility that Republicans will reach their national convention in Tampa later this year without a nominee.  That could create a brokered convention and an opportunity to Daniels to step back into the race he turned his back on last May.  “I really would not be interested,” says Daniels. “If we get to that point I’d be interested in finding someone who could provide a really interesting and credible alternative.”

Daniels supporters may find comfort in the fact that he has not ruled out a run for Vice President.

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