Posted: May 22, 2011 9:14 AM by AP Posted by James H Egbert
WASHINGTON - (AP) Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said early Sunday that he won't run for president because of family concerns, a development that narrowed the Republican nomination field though made the wide-open race even more uncertain.
"In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one," the Republican said, disclosing his decision in a middle-of-the-night e-mail to supporters. "The interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all. If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry."
A two-term Midwestern governor, Daniels had been considering a bid for months and was pressured by many in the establishment wing of the party hungering for a conservative with a strong fiscal record to run. He expressed interest in getting in the race partly because it would give him a national platform to ensure the country's fiscal health would remain part of the 2012 debate.
But he always said his family - his wife and four daughters - was a sticking point.