INDIANAPOLIS — A new poll out this week is showing former Gov. Mitch Daniels as the initial front-runner for Senate among Republicans in 2024.
Daniels is retiring soon as Purdue University’s president.
A new poll by Bellwether Research shows that Daniels is the favorite among Hoosiers to be Indiana’s next senator.
“As possible candidates ‘make their decision with family and friends over the holidays,’ we wanted to assess where a potential field would start,” poll author Christine Matthews wrote. “It’s early and we don’t know for sure who all the candidates will be, so we opted to be inclusive. In fact, we asked the GOP primary ballot for U.S. Senate twice – once with a field of candidates that did not include former Purdue president/Governor Mitch Daniels and once with a field that did. It made a big difference.”
Thirty two percent of Republicans polled said they would vote for Daniels in the GOP primary followed by 10% for Rep. Jim Banks, 9% for Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, and 8% for Rep. Victoria Spartz.
Daniels has said nothing about what he plans for after he steps aside as Purdue president.
Banks and Spartz have hinted that they are considering possible runs for Senate. Hollingsworth has said nothing about his political future.
