Though the “Run, Mitch, Run!” petition was launched in the immediate aftermath of Gingrich’s South Carolina victory, McKillip said the petition was not necessarily a direct reaction to the win. It was, he says, “influenced by the realization that there would be no consensus in the minds of GOP voters after the first three primaries.”

“The assumption that the race is merely a coronation for Mitt Romney has been vaporized — and the reality that this race won’t be over for at least a few months means that there is an opening for a historic late entrant,” he added.

Moreover, McKillip said, there was a dissatisfaction with the other GOP contenders for not sufficiently addressing America’s debt problem, something Daniels has stressed as a new “red menace” for the country.

Knowles said he knew a Daniels candidacy was a long shot, but that “if you wanted to probe into my wildest dreams, I think he has a great case to make.”