(Charlie Nye/ The Star ) - Indiana first lady Cheri Daniels participates in a milking contest at the Indiana State Fair last August.
CAPTIONFULLSCREEN 
Text SizePrintE-mailReprints By Jason Horowitz, Indiana first lady Cheri Herman Daniels is a “lifelong Hoosier” who has four daughters with Gov. Mitch Daniels. Her official state Web site also shares that the blond and personable 61-year-old enjoys reading, golfing, exercising, cooking and spending time with family and friends. In recent months, she has participated in the “Cheri’s Chores” program, in which she acquires new skills. (“Cheri’s Chores Assignment 1: Learn how to drive a dump truck and operate a gravel shooter.” No. 8: “Learn how to be a lunch lady.”)
[Get the latest political news from PostPolitics]
Loading...CommentsWeigh InCorrections?
(AJ Mast/AP)More on this StoryMitch Daniels’s wife, Cheri, is in the spotlightIndiana first lady may be deciding factor in potential Mitch Daniels bidVideo: Mitch Daniels Video Biography Photos: Campaign 2012: Who’s in and who’s out?View all Items in this StoryMitch Daniels: The man who could reshape the Republican fieldPostLeadership: Family commitment as a weaknessThe Fix: Waiting for MitchMitch Daniels: 2012 opportunity is a ‘happy surprise’Dana Milbank: Mitch Daniels, an alternative to scaryMitch Daniels’ political inner circleWhere is Mitch Daniels’s ‘A’ team?Daniels goes for the wonk voteAs she prepares to deliver the keynote address at the Indiana state GOP dinner Thursday, Daniels has taken on a new task: shaping the Republican presidential field.
“The decision is in the hands of his wife,” John Sununu, former New Hampshire Republican governor and a close friend of Daniels, told the Web site RealClearPolitics in March. “I know for sure she has the final say on this campaign.”
If the first lady is the deciding vote, she is not an easy sell. She has expressed her own reservations about the consequences a presidential bid might have on her family. In a March interview with the Indianapolis Star, she said: “It will be a complete family decision. It affects every single one of my daughters and their families, too. So, yes, we’ll be in talks.”
In February, the governor told Politico that it was “safe to say” his wife, who met him long before he pursued electoral politics, wasn’t warm to a prospective run. A close aide to Daniels told the Huffington Post this week that he would “like to run” but had not convinced his wife.
Republicans on the ground in Indiana said this for-the-family’s-sake political rhetoric is not the usual stalling tactic. “He is sincere when he says that family considerations are important,” said one Indiana Republican official.
[Get the latest political news from PostPolitics]
The governor’s political enemies — those who are eager to box out a promising contender with a reputation for fiscal seriousness, establishment backing and intellectual heft — are taking him at his word.
A rival campaign has identified the first lady’s reticence as a pressure point before she steps fully into the limelight. The couple has a complicated personal history. They divorced in 1994, and Cheri Daniels moved to California, where she remarried. The future governor, then a senior executive at the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, raised the couple’s four daughters, who at the time spanned the ages of 8 to 14. Cheri Daniels later returned, and the couple remarried in 1997.
In exchange for anonymity, an official for another GOP prospect provided contact information for the ex-wife of the man Cheri Daniels married, in the years between her divorce and remarriage to Daniels. Other officials at potential rival campaigns to Daniels disagreed about whether the personal history of Cheri Daniels would ever be a vulnerability or even germane to the race. One key adviser to a potential candidate said that the guardedness the first lady had exhibited about her past signaled a lack of enthusiasm that, more than any personal baggage, would handicap her husband’s chances over time. An official at another candidate’s campaign said the marital history wouldn’t and shouldn’t matter.
Continued12Next Page+ SHAREEmailTwitterFacebookStumbleuponDiggSuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.
If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.
Fact CheckerFact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.
If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.
WashingtologistWashingtologists consistently post thought provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.
If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.
Post WriterThis commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.
Post ForumPost Forum members consistently offer thought provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.
If your comments or those of another user measure up, please let Post editors know.
Post RecommendedWashington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.
+ SHARE THIS DEBATEPeople who read this also read...VultureWatch the Original, Lost Ending of ElectionHBO Renews TremeRyan Gosling to Direct Idolmaker TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' right_rail_shell.jpt - start');
Network News Hide this Most Popular Friends' Activity Most Popular Most Tweeted Twitter Activity Most Popular Right Now
Your Friends’ Most Recent Activity
Follow The Post: Facebook Twitter View More ActivityThe Post Most: LifestyleMost-viewed stories,videos, and galleries in the past two hoursMost Popular SectionWho shot bin Laden? Former SEALs fill in the blanksAmid media controversy, rapper Common performs at White HouseAsk Amy: Elderly parents sow more than they reapBest peonies for the D.C. areaStyle sanctuaryTop VideosJohnny Depp, Penelope Cruz at 'Pirates' premiereBin Laden diary discusses new targets, body countsCommon performs at White House poetry nightUBS's Ryan Says Active Portfolio Management `Critical'Surveying the damage after Spanish earthquakeTop GalleriesWatching the rivers riseVicksburg flooding, N.J. health clinic closures, earthquake in Spain and more in thA unit renowned for secrecySpain shaken by deadly earthquakesThe 64th Cannes Film FestivalPost Newsletters & AlertsSign-up for e-mail newsletters and alerts and get the news you need delivered directly to your inbox. Going Out Guide: Dinner & DrinksGoing Out Guide: With The KidsAt HomeDC ScoutGoing Out GuideLean & FitMoviesTravelSee all Washington Post NewslettersFeatured Advertiser LinksOil Spill, Mesothelioma Class Action, Femur Fracture, Navy Veterans, Asbestos News Center, Dross, Mesothelioma Symptoms>>Gas Drilling, Metal on Metal Hip, Mesothelioma Treatment, Yaz, Asbestos cancer, Knee loosening>>Looking to buy a home? Visit TWP Real Estate section for the latest open houses.>>Make Your Vanguard Investing More Profitable - Free Research Report Reveals Best & Worst Funds>>TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' right_rail_shell.jpt - end');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' skeleton - end'); Lifestyle Links AdviceCarolyn HaxFoodHome & GardenStyleTravel WeddingsWellnessBlogs & Columns Ways you can get us Mobile Podcasts Apps Newsletter & alerts Widgets RSS Post Store Facebook Photo Store Twitter Washington Post Live The Washington Post About Us Work for us Community Relations PostPoints Corrections/Suggestions Archive Contact the Ombudsman Web site Make us your homepage Newspaper Subscribe Home delivery service e-Replica Advertise In the newspaper On the web site Mobile Events The Washington Post Company Post Company web sites Partners Slate Who Runs Gov Express Night Out Captial Business El Tiempo Latino The Root Foreign Policy Trove Post Tickets Capitol Deal Service Alley © 1996- The Washington Post User Agreement and Privacy Policy Rights and Permissions Help Contact Us Ad Choices TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/footer.jpt - footer start');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' js/footer.jpt - footer done');TWP_Debug.pagedebug && window.console && console.log && console.log('[' + (new Date()-TWP_Debug.initialTime)/1000 + ']' + ' frameset - end');
No comments:
Post a Comment