GOP convention: Who is the mystery speaker Thursday night?

There’s an enticing blank on the Republican convention speakers’ schedule for Thursday night. Speculation is fierce among the vast press corps as to who (or what) it might be. Here is our list.

4. Mitch Daniels

Michael Conroy/AP/File
Mitch Daniels speaks in speaks of Indianapolis's bid to win the 2018 Super Bowl in Indianapolis on July 18.

Team Romney held a campaign event in Indianapolis on Wednesday – could they have flown back to Tampa with the popular former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) cloistered in the back of the plane?

Governor Daniels, who recently left the governorship to become president at Purdue University, is extremely popular with the conservative wing of the party as a no-nonsense, no frills executive who fought back against unions and whipped the Hoosier State budget into shape.

Daniels would provide some of the pop among conservatives that a Sarah Palin (or similar speaker) might provide with much less of the potential downside. He's not the most scintillating orator, however, and his import would likely be lost on many outside the conservative movement. 

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