ONLY TWO GUYS CAN WIN BOTH IA AND NH:

Leader of the pack? (Mary Beth Schneider , May. 1, 2011, Indy Star)

"Ask yourself this question," said Charlie Cook, editor of the Washington-based Cook Political Report. "Where's the 800-pound gorilla? Who's the Ronald Reagan? Who's the formidable front-runner? Seriously. Who ought to scare Mitch out of this race?"

Cook and others say Daniels has what it takes to successfully launch a campaign: an enviable political Rolodex that includes contacts from his years working for two presidents, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush; a business background coupled with a laid-back political style that makes him as comfortable in the boardroom as in a diner; and a tight-fisted, reform-oriented record from two terms as governor.

Combined, they give Daniels the ability to raise the money he'll need to build a political campaign almost overnight.

"Politically speaking, I don't know of any reason why he shouldn't run," Cook said.

But, he added, there also is the "personal calculus" every candidate must weigh. He and others point to the one person whose opinion might overrule all of the political math: Cheri Daniels.

Daniels' wife has been a low-profile first lady of Indiana. The mere fact that she'll be the keynote speaker at the Indiana GOP's fundraising dinner May 12 spurred speculation that she's trying the role of presidential candidate's wife on for size -- and even that she might use that speech to announce his plans.

She declined to be interviewed but recently told The Indianapolis Star that this will be "a complete family decision."

If he doesn't enter the race, she said, family "will definitely be a reason. It would not be the sole reason."

The governor gave a similar assessment last week, saying his family's opinion is "a very major factor, but there are a lot of factors."

Those, though, are political ones, and on that ground he sounds a lot like a candidate. He even gave what many consider his first presidential campaign speech -- his Feb. 11 address to the Conservative Political Action Conference.

In it, he laid out what would be the theme of his campaign: a rhetorical call to arms to combat "the red menace" of a rising national deficit.

It's a message political insiders said would play well in the two states that can launch a candidate from obscurity to front-runner status: Iowa, which has the first caucus, and New Hampshire, which has the first primary.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he has encouraged Daniels to run and thinks Daniels' "economic message will resonate with Iowans.

"Certainly a governor with the record Mitch Daniels has, I think, could be surprisingly strong," said Branstad, who is staying neutral for now.

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