Governor's website
State website

Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. was elected as the 49th Governor of the State of Indiana in 2004.

He held numerous top management positions in both the private and public sectors. His work as CEO of the Hudson Institute and President of Eli Lilly and Company's North American Pharmaceutical Operations taught him the business skills he brought to state government. He also has served as Chief of Staff to Senator Richard Lugar, Senior Advisor to President Ronald Reagan and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush.

Daniels’ first legislative success created the public-private Indiana Economic Development Corporation to replace a failing state bureaucracy in the mission of attracting new jobs. On his first day in office, Governor Daniels created the first Office of Management and Budget to look for efficiencies and cost savings across state government. During his first term, Governor Daniels spearheaded a host of reforms aimed at improving the performance of state government. These changes and a strong emphasis on performance measurement have led to many state agencies, including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Department of Child Services, and Department of Correction winning national awards. Daniels’ 2006 lease of the Indiana Toll Road, the largest privatization of public infrastructure in the United States to date, generated nearly $4 billion for reinvestment in the state’s record breaking 10-year transportation and infrastructure program. 2007 saw the enactment of the Healthy Indiana Plan to provide healthcare coverage for uninsured Hoosier adults, and a sweeping property tax reform in 2008 resulted in the biggest tax cut in Indiana history.

In 2008, Governor Daniels was named "Public Official of the Year" by the independent magazine Governing for his achievements as governor. In October, 2010, Governor Daniels became just the second-ever recipient of the Herman Kahn Award, the Hudson Institute’s top honor for creative and visionary leaders who are dedicated to strong national security, have an appreciation of the role of technology as a driver of global economic progress and hold a guarded optimism about the future of the country.

Governor Daniels was re-elected in 2008 to a second and final term, receiving more votes than any candidate for any public office in the state’s history.

Daniels earned a bachelor's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1971 and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1979.