Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is nearing his deadline to declare whether he would run for president or not. In the final week of the state’s legislative session, he’s pushing for a balanced budget, school voucher program and tax refunds.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels

This week, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour announced that he would not seek the Republican nomination for president. This makes it more likely for the Indiana governor to try grabbing the GOP nod. Both Barbour and Daniels were aides to President Ronald Reagan. They said that they would not both seek the nomination at the same time.

Governor Daniels remains quiet about his plans. His closest advisers don’t know what he would do or when he would announce his decision. For months, he kept the people guessing on his intentions for 2012.

Daniels knows that he has done little to lay the foundations of a campaign. His lack of planning could turn off people from supporting his candidacy. Last week, he was asked to discuss the education policy but he didn’t mention anything about a presidential campaign.

A lot of Republicans were surprised when Barbour announced his dropping out of the presidential race. That move opened the door for Daniels, who is considered as a hero of the anti-deficit wing of the GOP. He is a former pharmaceutical executive and budget director for George W. Bush.