Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has the backing of his own state’s senior Senator at the very least if he chooses to make a White House run.
“Yes, that’s my choice,” Lugar told Newsmax when asked who he would choose to take on President Obama in 2012.
“I have no idea what Gov. Daniels will ultimately decide,” Lugar added. “I believe he would be an outstanding president, and I say this because he has managed with fiscal prudence the state of Indiana in such a way that we have balanced budgets.”
Lugar and Daniels have both taken hits from the right in recent months — Lugar is facing a Tea Party primary challenge amid criticism from conservatives over his support for a number of the president’s initiatives, most notably the DREAM Act and the recent START Treaty with Russia. Daniels has been fending off attacks from religious conservatives ever since he pitched the idea of a “truce” on social issues in favor of economic ones. Daniels defended the remarks in an interview with Peter Robinson this week, saying that “freedom is going to need every friend it can get.”
As other candidates drop out or dawdle in joining the race, Daniels is getting a closer look from politicos at least. A recent National Journal poll of political insiders found that 25% of Republican insiders and 22% of Democratic insiders named him the candidate whose stock has risen the most in the last few months, the highest percentages of any likely 2012 contender.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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