Mitch Daniels not running for U.S. Senate
Mitch Daniels #MitchDaniels
Mitch Daniels has decided not to run for U.S. Senate, he announced in a statement to media Tuesday morning.
The former governor, who recently stepped down as president of Purdue University after a decade at its helm, was mulling the idea in recent weeks of a run for the seat that will be vacated in 2024 by Mike Braun, who is running for governor.
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“With full credit and respect for the institution and those serving in it, I conclude that it’s just not the job for me, not the town for me, and not the life I want to live at this point,” said Daniels, who is 73.
Daniels decision not to run was first reported by Politico. Had he run, Daniels would have been pitted against current U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who announced his candidacy two weeks ago. A Banks supporter had already run a pre-emptive attack against Daniels and Donald Trump Jr., recently called Daniels a “weak RINO” on Twitter.
With Daniels out of the way, support seems to be coalescing behind Banks. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, a major fundraiser dedicated to securing a Republican majority in the Senate, released a statement Tuesday morning backing Banks.
“I have the utmost respect for the years of service Governor Daniels has given to Indiana and wish him well in the future,” said NRSC Chair Steve Daines. “I’m looking forward to working with one of our top recruits this cycle, Jim Banks, to keep Indiana red in 2024.”
Banks, 43, of Columbia City, has emerged as a leading Republican in the House’s far-right wing. He reported nearly $1.4 million cash on hand in his latest filing for Congress with the Federal Election Commission and already has been endorsed by the fundraising powerhouse Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy group that also endorsed him during his 2016 run for Congress.
The group, which funded the Daniels’ attack ad, said it was prepared to spend “whatever it takes” to get Banks elected.
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Had Daniels entered the race, it would have been a case study in whether old-guard, fiscal conservatives like Daniels could win in today’s Republican party, where social-conservatives and acolytes of former President Donald Trump’s still hold a lot of power.
“His announcement today shows that there’s little room in today’s Indiana Republican Party for candidates who don’t pledge allegiance to Donald Trump before anything else,” said Mike Schmuhl, chair of the Indiana Democratic Party, in a statement Tuesday morning. “Daniel’s ‘no social issues’ mantra would have had a tough time winning a GOP primary in Indiana and the knives were already drawn from groups saying that Daniels was a relic of the past.”
This story will be updated.
Call IndyStar state government & politics reporter Arika Herron at 317-201-5620 or email her at Arika.Herron@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mitch Daniels says U.S. Senate role is ‘just not the job for me’