Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels Not Running For President

By Soyoung Kwak in News on May 22, 2011 4:00PM

Although the Republican party is scrambling pretty hard to find strong contenders for the 2012 presidential election, things are still unclear as to how solid the pool of candidates will be come the primaries. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has been deliberating a bid for the White House for months, encouraged by colleagues to consider a bid. Citing family concerns, Gov. Daniels announced his decision not to pursue a candidacy for the presidential elections next year, leaving the Republican Party with more question marks than they need right now in posing a formidable challenge to President Obama's re-election campaign.

In an e-mail to his supporters last night, Gov. Daniels stated that he had thought long and hard about running for president, but in the end, had to listen to his family's concerns:

"In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one," said the former Bush White House budget chief, disclosing his decision in a middle-of-the-night e-mail to supporters. "The interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all. If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry. If you feel that this was a non-courageous or unpatriotic decision, I understand and will not attempt to persuade you otherwise. I only hope that you will accept my sincerity in the judgment I reached."

Who stands out in the current pool of Republican candidates? And more importantly, who could be the most powerful opponent against Obama? By pulling his name out of the drawing hat, Gov. Daniels joins three others who have recently opted out of the race: former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Haley Barbour, and entrepreneur/full-time celebrity Donald Trump. The Republican party does have a starting list of candidates that include Gov. Mitt Romney, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, among other candidates, but it doesn't seem like there is a clear front-runner yet.