When he campaigned for the governor's office four years ago, Republican Mitch Daniels promised to shake Hoosiers out of their complacency with an ambitious program of big changes. He has delivered, and then some. In fact, the very pace of change has been a matter of controversy, causing concern even among some supporters.

But Hoosiers were complacent, and Daniels' changes have benefited the state for the most part. He deserves another four years to finish what he started.

He inherited a state with a deficit and leaders who had no clear ideas on how to get out of it. In the midst of an economic crisis of historic proportions, Indiana now still has a healthy surplus as a result, while states around us are desperately taking emergency measures. That alone should guarantee him re-election.

Even more than for specific issues he has championed or programs he has launched, Daniels deserves praise for the leadership he has shown - he decides what needs to be done and gets it done. Daylight saving time, to cite one example, had brought legislature after legislature to its knees. Daniels pushed for it and got it passed. The Indiana Toll Road lease, to name another, was so bold it is being looked at by other states. Because of it, we have plenty of highway project funding.

And looking ahead, Daniels has a clear idea of where he wants to go for the next four years. Asked to name the missing piece of the puzzle in what he hopes to accomplish, he names education. That's exactly right, and he and GOP superintendent of public instruction candidate Tony Bennett had some good ideas on the issue.

Despite her unrelentingly negative campaign that has picked apart every conceivable Daniels initiative, Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson has not made the case that he should be replaced. She talks about jobs lost but doesn't mention jobs gained. She talks about how the economy has slowed but doesn't acknowledge how much better off Indiana is than other Midwestern states. It might be true that we are not as far along the path as we could be. It is not true, as Long Thompson suggests, that we are on the wrong path altogether.

Also in the race is Libertarian Andrew Horning, who likewise doesn't make a credible case that he should be elected. Then again, he probably doesn't expect to be.