At 2:38 p.m on Monday, February 15, Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), announced that he will not be seeking reelection in this year's Congressional mid-term elections. This is huge in this week's political news. Senator Bayh is a force of his own in Indiana politics. The former two-term governor of Indiana has won both of his two Senate terms with more than 60 percent of the popular vote. This is a signal that Democrats are in dire trouble as the 2010 Midterm elections come even closer. This shocking announcement comes just one month after Senate heavyweights Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND), announced within hours of each other that they will not be seeking reelection.
This announcement gives Republicans the fire in Indiana they need to recapture that Senate seat. Bayh has been in Republican cross-hairs for the past few years and this is their golden opportunity. Former Senator Dan Coats has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination as well as a slew of other Republicans. However, I do not support Coats. Electing a former lobbyist is not what Indiana should do if they want real change. Any other Republican would be great, just not Coats.
No matter how the cookie crumbles, this will be a very interesting Senate contest to monitor, because it has national implications. Obama narrowly won the state in 2008 and if this Senate seat goes Republican it is a signal that Obama has lost complete touch with the Midwest, whom he performed well with in 2008. I will say though, I hope this seat goes Republican because we need balance in Washington.
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