INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mitch Daniels is making a strong push to help Indiana Republicans win back the state House of Representatives in November, helping to recruit candidates and raising money to benefit the party.
The results could determine how successful he is in his final two years in office as he works for changes on issues such as charter schools, teacher pay and government reforms. But they also could increase national speculation about his potential as a Republican presidential candidate in 2012.
Daniels kept an aggressive pace during his first two years in office, when Republicans controlled both chambers of the Legislature. He won approval to lease the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign consortium for 75 years and declared victory after the state's three-decade struggle over whether to switch to daylight saving time.
But Democrats have held a slim majority in the Indiana House since 2007, and the momentum has slowed.
"Over the years, we've been able to get some important things done in a bipartisan way," Daniels said, citing property tax caps and a health insurance program for low-income Hoosiers. "There are some major reforms we'd like to accomplish that will not happen . . . if our opposition controls the agenda of the House."
To that end, Daniels has helped recruit Republican candidates for the General Assembly, speaking to more than 20 by phone. Some were already considering a run for office, but others were swayed by the state's chief executive.
"In some cases, Mitch might have been the icing on the cake," said Eric Holcomb, Daniels' deputy chief of staff and former campaign manager, who has led the recruitment efforts.
Daniels also has helped raise money for the party through a political action committee called Aiming Higher, which has held fundraisers in Indiana and Washington, D.C. As of April 9, the end of the most recent reporting period, the PAC had $728,000.
Lawmakers on both sides say winning the House is essential because the Legislature elected in November will draw district maps, based on the new census, for the General Assembly and Congress.
"This is the year that we will predetermine state legislative and congressional leadership for the next decade through the maps," said House Minority Leader Brian Bosma.
Whether Daniels' help pays off remains to be seen.
Republicans say party polls show Daniels with a 61 percent approval rating. Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said an endorsement by the governor "does actually mean quite a bit."
"This is the governor of the state of Indiana who currently is not only very popular here but receiving national attention for the job he's doing," Downs said.
Democrats acknowledge that Daniels brings clout to GOP races.
"He's a money-raising machine," said House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend.
But Bauer thinks the economy and issues will favor Democrats come November.
Political observers say winning the Indiana House, and demonstrating his influence, could fuel the presidential speculation swirling around Daniels.
The former Bush administration budget director insists he does not see a future president when he looks in the mirror and says he doesn't expect to run. But he has backed off a previous vow not to, saying he would leave the door open, and Washington pundits continue to promote him as the GOP's best option.
Daniels says his focus is on Indiana for the next two years and beyond.
"I see an opportunity to try to bring to public life a new cohort of reformers and people who I hope will carry on and find additional ways to move the state forward," he said. "If we can elect five or 10 new fresh faces, different sort of people, I'm hoping that five or 10 years from now you'd see them doing some really good things for the state."
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