Gov. Mitch Daniels still not interested in GOP bid

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he won't reconsider entering the Republican presidential nominating contest, despite a swell of requests to do so.

Daniels announced in May he would not run to be the Republican presidential nominee, and since then calls and letters asking him to reconsider have picked up as the GOP nomination is far from decided, The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday.

In spite of the "noise," Daniels said he would not reconsider.

"I never wanted to run, never planned to run," Daniels said.

Four major candidates are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Most national polls indicate President Obama leading them all in hypothetical match-ups. Because support hasn't coalesced around any one candidate, calls for a new candidate have intensified.

Daniels said concerns about the field "originate in people's very sincere alarm about the condition of the country and its direction. If it weren't that, I don't think you'd have quite the degree of urgency of finding someone who's capable of presenting a winning alternative. ... When you overlay that on a field that hasn't yet shown an ability to win in the fall, you get what you've got."