WASHINGTON – Sen. Evan Bayh, a centrist Democrat from Indiana, announced Monday that he won't seek a third term in Congress, giving Republicans a chance to pick up a Senate seat.
"To put it in words I think most people can understand: I love working for the people of Indiana, I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress," Bayh said at a news conference Indianapolis, where he was joined by his wife and two sons.
The departure of Bayh, who was on President Barack Obama's short list of vice presidential candidate prospects in 2008, continues a recent exodus from Congress among both Democrats and Republicans, including veteran Democrats Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island.
The announcements have sprung up in rapid-fire fashion amid polls showing a rising anti-incumbent fervor and voter anger over Washington partisanship, high unemployment, federal deficits and lucrative banking industry bonuses.
Obama thanked Bayh for his years of public service.
"During that time, he has fought tirelessly for Indiana's working families, reaching across the aisle on issues ranging from job creation and economic growth to fiscal responsibility and national security," Obama said in a written statement. "I look forward to continuing to work with him on these critical challenges throughout the rest of the year."
Bayh, who won the seat to the Senate in 1998, attributed his decision to the bitter partisan divides that have dominated Congress in recent years, though he praised his colleagues as hard workers devoting to serving the public.
"My decision should not be interpreted for more than it is, a very difficult, deeply personal one," he said. "I am an executive at heart. I value my independence. I am not motivated by strident partisanship or ideology."
Bayh, 54, said he believed he would have been re-elected this November, despite "the current challenging environment." He said it was time for him to "contribute to society in another way," either by creating jobs with a business, leading a college or university, or running a charity.
His retirement from a Senate seat from Republican-leaning Indiana also adds to the struggle Democrats will face this fall to prevent an erosion of the 59 votes they have in the chamber.
"After all these years, my passion for service to our fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned," Bayh said at the news conference.
The Democrats will have to scramble to find a replacement candidate for Bayh's seat. Friday is the filing deadline for the May primary, although the party would have until June 30 to select a replacement candidate.
Bayh declined to say whether he would back anyone as his replacement but said he would support whoever was the Democratic nominee.
State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker, who was Bayh's campaign manager, said he learned of Bayh's decision over the weekend and also declined to discuss possible candidates.
Bayh's name was among a handful of well-known Democrats prominently mentioned as possible vice presidential candidates in both Sen. John Kerry's 2004 run for the presidency and Obama's successful run for the White House. He was believed to have been on Obama's short list. Obama settled on then-Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware.
Less than two weeks ago, former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, a Republican, announced that he would try to reclaim his old seat from Bayh. The move by Coats came as the GOP was still celebrating Republican Scott Brown's January upset to take Edward Kennedy's former seat in Massachusetts.
Indiana Republican Chairman Murray Clark said he had high hopes his party would win Bayh's seat even before the senator's announcement. He said Bayh's votes in favor of the federal stimulus package and the Senate's health care overhaul bill had damaged his moderate image and his re-election prospects.
"When this president was elected, he was forced to cast votes in a way that were inconsistent with mainstream Hoosiers' beliefs," Clark said. "Unfortunately, his voting countered the reasons for his prior success."
North Dakota's Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan also is retiring, and his party doesn't have anyone to challenge the Republican, Gov. John Hoeven. Democrats also failed to recruit their top candidate in Delaware. Biden's son, Beau Biden, eschewed a run against Republican Mike Castle.
Bayh is serving his second six-year term in the Senate, and is a centrist Democrat from a Republican-leaning state.
Bayh served two terms as Indiana's governor before winning the first of his two Senate terms in 1998. He had until recent weeks been regarded as a near certainty for re-election, having raised nearly $13 million for his campaign and facing little-known Republican opposition until national Republicans recruited Coats to enter the race.
Bayh's name was already well known when he first ran for political office in 1986, winning the race for Indiana secretary of state that year. His father, Birch, won the first of three terms in the U.S. Senate in 1962 and was an unabashed Great Society liberal.
The younger Bayh ran for governor in 1988 on a platform of fiscal responsibility, reducing what he considered to be a bloated government bureaucracy and opposing tax increases.
Bayh served two terms as Indiana's governor before winning the first of his two Senate terms in 1998.

I hate seeing the lost of centrist candidates from either side. They help balance. But I imagine many centrist democrats are having real problems with they way they are basically being forced to vote through extreme pressure these last few months.

they seem to be dropping off huh?

it is always the guy in the middle who gets squeezed.

it is not fun to get squished all the time.

it is easier to go to your side of the river and yell at the guys
on the other side of the river: "you're on the wrong side!!"



LESS FILLING!

TASTES GREAT!



i'm going home and i'm taking my baseball with me!
harumph!

(and i mean that to STING)

Yeah. Both parties seems to be deeply entrenched far into their own ideologies. I'm sure it makes it very difficult for moderates to vote their own beliefs and serve the people that elected them. Particularly for the moderate democrats who are seeing major pressure from party leaders.

Total control by either party is not a good thing. You need a balance of power. Thats why we need a formidable third party. They don't have to control a bunch of seats just enough to keep the parties in check..JMO

Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.

Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Well you started out with nothing,
And you're proud that you're a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please.... Please.....

Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.


Here's to Evan Bayh.

here's what Bayh said this morning...I think he just threw Obama and his policies under the bus !...

"if I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months"...

the sides need to come together. It's sad that both sides want to act like children. How does that help our country?

I hate to see Evan give up the fight like this, but can see where all the partisan BS gets old even for those in Congress. I know I sure am sick of all of it. Not sure how we get our public servants off their stumps and back on task.

Exactly, don't complain and rant about the house being on fire, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

I do understand (as well) about the BS getting to be too much. However, I wish more centered politicians would stick it out and have their voice, then maybe some will wake up

It's up to the public to make the change. Unfortunately until people start thinking for themselves it's not going to change. I have seen some signs that people are waking up and realizing they have to take responsibility for helping straighten up the mess we've created via poor voting habits, but I'm not sure there's enough just yet to make a difference.

your just seeing the rats abanding the sinking ship . Get use to it as the government starts to fail even more the numbers well increase .

LOL, is that what you call it when one of the few good democrats leave? What do you call it when one of the few good republican's leave the race? Yes there are republicans leaving the running too. It's getting harder and harder for politician that don't toe the party line to get support from either side. The problem is not left or right it's divisive partisan-ism. Both ruling parties want you to buy into it. And exactly what you do when you listen to too much am radio or too many Obama speeches. Cheering at the loss of someone who actually can reach across the isle is exactly that attitude that will destroy and has been destroying this country. The further that pendulum swings to EITHER side the worse this is going tot get.

By my count yesterday there as about 9 who gave it up . both demos and repubs . there was no mention of party just quality .