Indiana governor Mitch Daniels said Tuesday that he will not accept an invitation from Texas governor Rick Perry.
Mr. Perry – who is considering a run for president – has invited the country’s 49 other governors to a “a day of prayer and fasting on behalf of our troubled nation” but a spokesman for Mr. Daniels says he will not be attending.
Mr. Daniels rejection of the invitation comes just weeks after he announced he will not seek the Republican presidential nomination. The Indiana Republican was largely seen as a front-runner for the nomination.
The invitation from Mr. Perry follows in the wake of speculation that he will enter the 2012 race, a move that could change the dynamics of the 2012 campaign just as it begins to take shape.
“Given the trials that beset our nation and the world, from the global economic downturn to natural disasters, the lingering danger of terrorism and continued debasement of our culture, I believe it is time to convene the leaders from each of our United States in a day of prayer and fasting,” Mr. Perry wrote in a letter to a number of governors.
Mr. Perry’s spokesman confirmed that just one governor has agreed to attend so far, Republican Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas.
