Mr. Daniels goes to Washington
Inside Mitch Daniels' trip to the Hill ahead of a potential Senate bid.
Mitch Daniels is on a Goldilocks mission: Finding out whether the Senate is just right for his deal-cutting style.
The former Indiana governor and Purdue University president embarked on a tour of Capitol Hill Wednesday to figure out whether running for his state’s open Senate seat makes sense, talking to senators both happy and frustrated with their jobs. The well-known Republican has insisted politics is not on his mind, as conservatives line up behind potential primary rival Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.).
No stranger to the institution — Daniels served as the late Sen. Richard Lugar’s chief of staff for five years after once managing his campaign — he’s instead emphasized that he’s figuring out whether he’ll be happy with six years schlepping through the Capitol as the most junior senator in the building. After all, it’s a place that’s changed a great deal over the past few decades.
“I’m not the least bit worried, honestly, about losing an election. I’m worried about winning it and regretting it for six years,” Daniels said Wednesday after meeting with Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). “I say this with great respect for those who do it. But you know, that doesn’t mean it fits me or fits me at this time of my life. So that’s what this field trip’s about.”
Daniels’ advisers are racing to lay the groundwork for a potential campaign should he declare — going so far as to make decisions about potential staff. Daniels is an experienced Senate race hand: He once ran the Senate GOP’s campaign arm.