President 2012: Mitch Daniels to Kick Off Presidential Run?

Mitch Daniels has been mostly tethered to Indianapolis during a contentious legislative session, but he’s planning a trip to Washington next month to deliver what’s sure to be a high-profile speech on education.

The Indiana governor will address the American Enterprise Institute on May 4, POLITICO has learned, discussing what has been the centerpiece of his agenda this year.

Thousands of opponents and supporters have descended on the Indiana state capitol in recent months to weigh in on Daniels’ push to offer school vouchers, expand charter schools, overhaul teacher tenure and weaken the collective bargaining rights of teachers.

The Hoosier has been mum about whether he intends to run for president, but has indicated he’ll make up his mind after his legislative session, now slated for April 29th. Should legislators meet their deadline, Daniels’ AEI speech could amount to his unofficial campaign debut. At the very least, it’ll be watched closely for clues as to whether he’s inclined to run.

If Mitch Daniles is going to run, there will be a some sort of bat signal to the blogosphere – so stay tuned.