Bangert: Governor run for Purdue's Mitch Daniels? 'Nope'

As Mitch Daniels' former campaign chairman whispers his name as a potential candidate for a return engagement as Indiana governor, is the Purdue University president aiming to dust off his campaign-mobile, RV1, and those green "My Man Mitch" buttons?

Daniels doesn't seem amused.

"Only things I'm aiming at are in black and gold," Daniels said Tuesday.

Daniels might have sworn off party politics when he was named as the next Purdue University president with seven months to go in his second term as governor. But it hasn't kept some people from dreaming about getting him back as a standard bearer for the Republican Party in Indiana or beyond.

The latest round comes courtesy of Bill Oesterle, who ran the first My Man Mitch campaign in 2004 and who Daniels will tell you talked him into running for governor in the first place.

Last week, Oesterle said he'd soon leave his post at CEO of Angie's List and concentrate on reshaping the Indiana Republican Party as post-Religious Freedom Restoration Act polling numbers go sour on Gov. Mike Pence.

Oesterle hasn't been shy about saying that he'd like to wrap that campaign around a Daniels return. On Tuesday, Oesterle told Matthew Tully, columnist with The Indianapolis Star, that if Pence doesn't run again, "Then I think it's a real possibility (that Daniels would)."

Oesterle told Tully that he hadn't approached Daniels about the idea. As if that mattered on a secret desire spoken that loudly.

On Tuesday afternoon, Daniels had just finished making an announcement for a 980-acre aerospace district tied to the Purdue Airport — "This just has such huge potential for us and for West Lafayette," Daniels said — and was on his way to catch a flight to Texas. He had an alumni event on Tuesday night and then was scheduled to speak to the Dallas Chamber of Commerce about Purdue and higher education on Wednesday.

But Daniels knew Oesterle was putting his name out there. So, about Oesterle's idea, is Daniels thinking about a run for governor in 2016?

"No, I'm not. Nope, nope, nope, nope," Daniels said. "Got my head down on my business. Nothing more to say."

How about U.S. Senate in 2016? That's going to be open with Sen. Dan Coats retiring.

"You guys either never pay attention or listen," Daniels said. "I've said this for years: Governor was the only job I was ever running for. I wasn't on the make for anything else. Not for the Senate, president and all the rest of that. Sooner or later, you'll figure that out that when I say these things, I mean them."

Thing is, sounds like he needs to tell that to Bill Oesterle, too.

Daniels laughed.

"He thinks because he talked me into it once, he can talk me into it twice, maybe," Daniels said. "But he should be smarter than that."

With that, Daniels said he had a plane to catch to Texas to meet with Purdue alumni.

Bangert is a columnist with the Journal & Courier. Contact him at dbangert@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @davebangert.