Tipsheet

Is Mitch Daniels Ever Going to Make Up His Mind?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  January 26, 2023 11:45 AM

The Senate race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) has gotten some chatter for weeks and even months now. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) officially launched his campaign last week, but even before he did, there was discussion about a potential primary matchup with former Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN), who, is more of an establishment pick. The battle has gotten ugly, with even reports of a "civil war." That's how politics can be nowadays, but what makes it all particularly curious is Daniels hasn't even announced yet. 

On Wednesday night, Al Weaver published a piece for The Hill wondering "Is Mitch Daniels a good fit for the Senate? He’s trying to figure that out," after he ventured to Capitol Hill to parse that out. Among those he spoke with included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McCconnell (R-KY), who is often also considered establishment, and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN). 

Daniels also spoke to The Hill about these potential plans:

In a brief interview with The Hill, Daniels said that he plans to make a decision “shortly” on a bid to succeed Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) but is uncertain on a return to public life.

Daniels, 73, said he’s spent “much more time out of public life than in it.”

“I’ve always had action jobs, so I’ve always had great admiration and respect for people who follow the legislative path, but it’s not something I’ve done or, frankly, seen myself doing,” he added.

“I’m just testing all that now because I’ve been asked to. People I admire have asked me to think about it, so I’m thinking.”

...

“People have been honest and open, and that’s what I was hoping they’d do. They’d tell me about what they enjoy about it, what’s occasionally difficult about it,” Daniels said of his meetings.

He told reporters earlier in the day that Wednesday’s discussions were centered around the “life of a senator” and the possibility of winning “and regretting it for 6 years.”

Daniels isn't the only one who acknowledges he hasn't made up his mind yet. The Hill also spoke with Sen. Young, whom Braun's replacement would serve with as a U.S. senator from Indiana. Young was first elected in 2016. He said that Daniels "seemed undecided" and that he's "undecided--but very interested." The senator brought up a point that Daniels himself did, in that Daniels is "genuinely and sincerely trying to figure out whether he wants to spend a year and a half auditioning for the job and six years in the job. He’s asking a lot of questions about the job itself."

Given that Daniels is currently 73-years-old, this isn't entirely surprising. 

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Young has said he wouldn't get involved in the primary publicly. 

POLITICO's Adam Wren and Burgess Everett, who wrote up a piece last week on a potential Republican "civil war" over the race, similarly wrote about Daniels' visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, highlighting how "Senate Republicans get front seat to brewing Indiana Senate clash."

In addition to including quotes from potential Senate colleagues singing Daniels' praises, Wren and Everett have some more to offer on a potential timeline:

As a practical matter, Daniels disdains Washington as a potential residence or place to spend time, a factor that will heavily weigh on his calculus. Privately, his closest advisers say they don’t know where he’ll land, but expect him to make a decision as early as this weekend.

...

The former governor said he’s going to make an announcement soon rather than drag out the drama.

“I don’t like to keep people waiting. I don’t like to dally, so you’ll know something, literally, in a very short time,” Daniels said. “This is the final stage of my discovery process.”

Daniels is not merely regarded as an establishment candidate in who he has support from, which the piece above seems to suggest includes Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), but his own policy views. Kurt Schlicher laid out that argument against Daniels in a column for Townhall earlier this month, shortly before Banks' announcement. And, in addition to tweeting out the article he worked on with Everett, Wren retweeted an interview that Daniels gave with Christianity Today published in October 2011 that emphasized his desire to "have a truce on social issues."

Banks, meanwhile, has not shied away from social issues, and in last week's video announcement spoke about a wide range of topics he's focused on, including fighting to protect women and girls' sports and the right to life. During his time as chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) for the 117th Congress, the RSC also paid a healthy amount of attention to these social issues as well. 

In the time that he has announced, Banks has also racked up a series of endorsements, including from Indiana Republicans and activists. He also on Tuesday announced the endorsement from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).