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Republican Mitch Daniels hasn't announced a campaign for U.S. Senate, but 35 percent of respondents would vote for him.
FILE PHOTO: Purdue University.A recent poll of Hoosier GOP voters says they’d choose former Governor and Purdue University president Mitch Daniels for Indiana’s open US Senate seat in 2024.
Now that GOP U.S. Sen. Mike Braun has announced he’s running for governor, several Republicans say they’re considering a Senate run. Daniels has not announced a campaign. When he steps down from the Purdue presidency next year, he’s slated to become chairman of the board of the Purdue Research Foundation.
But in a poll of more than 500 Republican and Independent voters, 35 percent said they’d either definitely or probably vote for Daniels in a US Senate race.
Two Indiana representatives that have said they are considering a run tied for second in the poll. That’s U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City) and U.S. Rep. and Victoria Spartz (R-Noblesville). They each received 14 percent of the vote. Both were re-elected to their House seats in the November election.
Spartz released the poll, conducted by online and text message by Response:AI, based in Washington, D.C.
In a press release, she said, “I am very honored to be one of the top-tier contenders for a potential U.S. Senate seat after just two years serving our great state of Indiana in Congress.”
Six Republican names were included in the poll. One prominent name that’s absent is current Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who is term-limited. Holcomb has said he won’t announce any future moves for himself or endorse anyone in either the governor or Senate races until May.
The poll’s “someone else” option received 10 percent of the votes. And 17 percent of respondents were undecided.
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