In an exclusive statement to POLITICO, the former Indiana governor and Purdue University president said he concluded the Senate run to replace retiring Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) wasn’t the right fit for him at this stage of his career.
“After what I hope was adequate reflection, I’ve decided not to become a candidate for the U.S. Senate,” Daniels told POLITICO. “With full credit and respect for the institution and those serving in it, I conclude that it’s just not the job for me, not the town for me, and not the life I want to live at this point.”
“Maybe I can find ways to contribute that do not involve holding elective office. If not, there is so much more to life,” Daniels added. “People obsessed with politics or driven by personal ambition sometimes have difficulty understanding those who are neither.”
[Daniels would have made a good senator, but he’s almost 74 now and would be almost 76 if and when he took office. That may well be middle age for incumbent senators, but it’s pretty long in the tooth for freshmen, even in the upper chamber. He would have been dead last in seniority, and even though Mitch McConnell might have pushed a bit for favorable committee assignments, he’d still be a backbencher in a legislative chamber of 100 rather than in charge of an organization. Plus … the Beltway, man. Can’t blame Daniels a bit for this choice, and I’d have been surprised if he’d been talked into doing it. — Ed]
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