JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) - Governor Mitch Daniels spent much of Wednesday in southern Indiana, making stops in places like Paoli, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville.
Perhaps the biggest stop was Jeffersonville, where he held a town hall meeting of sorts, while also signing copies of his new book "Keeping the Republic."
His visit wasn't exactly greeted with a warm welcome.
"We're out here today, standing up for working people across this state," said union member Kirk Gillenwaters.
Before Governor Mitch Daniels even made it to Jeffersonville, dozens of Right to Work protestors rallied outside. At one point during the governor's speech inside, protestors could be heard outside chanting "right to work" while the governor was speaking.
Library staff shut the shades in the room, but that didn't shut them down completely. While signing copies of his new book, union leaders turned confrontational.
"You told us you wouldn't support right to work," one union member told the two-term governor, who says he's taking it in stride.
"I understand why people got upset. Someone told them that wages would go down, benefits would go down, but none of that will happen. Someone might have told them or feared that this somehow might impact the right to organize and bargain, but it doesn't in any way," Governor Daniels said.
While he hopes to not burn any bridges with the union, Kentuckiana's bridges are another matter. Things are looking favorable that the Sherman Minton could open early.
"The last report I got was cautiously optimistic that they would beat March 1. We need the weather continuing to cooperate," the Governor said.
There's also cautious optimism that Amazon will set up shop in southern Indiana; more specifically Jeffersonville, in a move that could add some 500 jobs.
"We've been a good state for them and I never like to count a chicken prematurely, but I think there's a good chance," Governor Daniels explained.
There's no time table for when a decision could come, but it's all happening while Governor Daniels has less than a year in office. While he won't be running for Indiana Governor again, Congressman Mike Pence is running.
"I expect him to be a really strong candidate this fall," Governor Daniels said.
And despite the national spotlight on him many time, most recently after the President's State of the Union speech, Daniels is still up in the air about his next move out of office.
"I don't have a clue," the Governor laughed. "I've never been a very good career planner and I'm not right now!"
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