A religious tightrope could separate Mitch Daniels from an attempt to solve the nation’s fiscal problems. If the mainline Protestant enters the presidential race, he could face Mormon, Catholic and evangelical contenders who will battle for religious conservative votes in key states such as Iowa and South Carolina.

The primaries would test whether Daniels can capture — and then rally– the “God vote” using different tactics from his former boss George W. Bush. If Daniels, who is quiet about his faith, makes it through the Republican primaries, he could debate President Barack Obama without a religious spotlight.

Daniels, who serves as an elder at Tabernacle Presbyterian (USA) Church in Indianapolis, has acknowledged his more private faith, citing Matthew 6, where it suggests Christians should pray in private. Still, some might see a hint of evangelical crossover in his language.

“As a believer, I always felt that the God I know was larger than politics,” Daniels told me before the 2008 election. “I’m always happy when people of faith decide that they want to be involved in public activity, but it should never distract us from what’s primary, from the mission of saving souls.”

He also has been involved in the broader faith community in helping found The Oaks Academy, an inner-city Christian school.

“It is the living witness of what can happen when people of God search for the right way to let God act through them . . . and unite as believers, who believe in children and who believe in the one who made those children,” he said, appearing to tear up in a 2008 speech at the school. “Of all the things life has brought, this project is the most important human endeavor I’ve been privileged to be part of.”

The religious beliefs of Daniels’ potential Republican rivals will likely influence voters.

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Bailey, a native of Indianapolis, is online editor for Christianity Today. Contact her [email protected]; follow her on Twitter @spulliam.