Bayh To Retire In Face Of Challenge
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will not seek a 3rd term in the Senate next year, according to a Dem source, handing Dems yet another setback as they struggle to salvage their damaged ship.
Bayh, elected statewide 5 times, will become the 5th Senate Dem not to seek another term. His decision to step aside creates an open seat in IN, a usually-red state that broke the mold in '08 by voting narrowly for Pres. Obama.
Last week, ex-Sen. Dan Coats (R), who held Bayh's seat before retiring in '98, announced he would run for the seat. Ex-Rep. John Hostettler (R) had already announced his own candidacy.
A recent poll taken for the liberal DailyKos website showed Bayh easily beating both Coats and Hostettler. And Bayh ended the year with $13M in the bank, far ahead of any potential challengers.
Bayh's decision will set Dems scrambling for a replacement. The deadline to file to reach the ballot is Friday, meaning any Dem considering running for the seat must make a decision quickly.
Dems have a reasonable bench in the Hoosier State, and any of the 3 Dems who beat GOPers in '06 -- Reps. Joe Donnelly (D), Brad Ellsworth (D) and Baron Hill (D) -- would fit the mold as centrists in a center-right state. Hill has said he is likely to run for GOV in '12. Dems may also turn to ex-Gov. Joe Kernan (D) or ex-DNC chair Joe Andrew.
Dem sources immediately pointed to Ellsworth as the likeliest candidate to replace Bayh on the ballot.
they only have 4 or 5 days left to get the 500 per district signatures
Just as well. Instead of fighting as a Ddemocrat, he was more concerned about not appearing bi-partisan. Now he has decided to surrender to the Republicans.
GOOD!!!
It's time to get ourselves rid of this fool. Talk about "take the money and run", it was written for him. 13 million in the bank, so he's gone.
I still say 13 Million is a small price to py for ridding Indiana of this complete and utter failure of a Senator, and a man.
That the dems control the executive and legislative branches, but are commonly referred to with phrases like "struggle to salvage their damaged ship" shows what a bunch of spineless dems are in office today. It's time everyone realizes the dems in DC do not WANT to do anything. Secretly, they long to be in the minority so they don't have to upset their corporate masters.
What a jerk. Bayh has done little for the Democratic Party and is contemptuous with this short notice. This is very little damage to the Democratic party. He constantly undercut Democratic efforts to move the country toward fairness and equality, while coddling wealth and power and enabled and fostered the lies and distortions used in the perception management schemes of the Republican operatives. Good riddance.
The question also remains does Mitch Daniels or Pence now run for US Senate?
Baron Hill a centrist? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA ... this is the same guy that had goons try to shut up the audience at a town hall. I say, go for it dude.
According to the FEC, the filing deadline for ballot access in the primary is 2/16, not 2/19. That's tomorrow (Wed), not Friday.
http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2010/2010pdates.pdf
Ruh-roh, more rats jumping the stinking, Marxist ship MAObama.
Why does Indiana count as a center-right state? Last I checked, it voted for a liberal Democrat for President. And as the article notes, that followed some big wins for Dems in House races throughout the later part of the last decade. Maybe it was center-right back in the early 2000s, but that's a while ago now.
This is great for the Dems.
Interesting very interesting is the fact that this thinking of abandoning his post, something better will take up his sleeve.
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INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 15, 2010)
Dan Coats released the following statement:
"Senator Bayh has served the state as governor and senator for two decades; I respect his commitment to public service.
“I will continue to run just as hard and take nothing for granted. I am running so the views and interests of Hoosiers are represented in Washington, so Hoosiers can get back to work in good jobs, and so Americans are safe and secure from threats to our national security.
"As a nation, we are currently headed badly off course; the people of Indiana want to change that and want to be heard in Washington. I will continue to make the case throughout the state that I am in the strongest position to get there and fight for all Hoosiers and all Americans."
I find these comments about Bayh being a bad senator and a money hording runner. How about getting your facts straight before you start talking out your ass?
Money like that becomes charitable contributions in light of not running for political office again. Should he run for Governor of Indiana again Mitch better pack his bags, nuff said.
Let the debate begin!
Thanks for that Kevin.
It's clear that Coats has absolutely NOTHING in the tank but the typical empty Republican platitudes.
Oh really? You want Hoosiers to have good jobs? Maybe we shouldn't have given you Republicans control of Congress for 6 years and the Presidency for 8 and HOOSIERS WOULD HAVE GOOD JOBS!
He's a corporate lobbyist. For corporations and by corporations. That's just what he does.
Bayh is a corporate sellout and coats is a Washington lobbyist, no doubt about who he would be working for.
The Dems can still appoint a person to run for the seat in nov by late june, he just won't have been selected by the voters.
At least this way, the refugnicans won't be able to dictate who the candidate will be by crossing over and voting for the weakest dem that they can find. Our only hope is that a strong Democrat with a backbone is selected for the Nov ticket.
Otherwise, if a refug gets the seat we won't have to wonder who's side he'sreally on.
No more Bayh and no more Buyer, one more and we'll have a tri-fecta!
Is this crazy, or could it possibly happen?
http://us-elections.suite101.com/article.cfm/draft-john-mellencamp-for-u-s-senate
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