Bayh has always been close to Bill and Hillary Clinton. In February 2010, he announced that he wouldn’t seek a third term, citing excessive partisanship and the undue influence of big money special interests.
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Instead, he issued a statement praising Hill for consistently being willing to set aside party differences for the good of the state and nation.
The Indiana Democratic committee made a similar selection in 2010 after Bayh dropped his Senate re-election campaign just days before the filing deadline, leaving too little time for another candidate to qualify for the primary ballot.
“Baron Hill is a friend and a mentor, and I am proud to know him”, Zody said in a press release. “But I do not love Congress”, the younger Bayh said when he announced his decision to retire. In its wake, the respected, nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the IN race’s competitive categorization up two levels, from “likely Republican” to “toss-up”.
According to the FEC, Hill had less than $400,000 cash on hand.
“My understanding is that Evan Bayh is intending to run”, Carmen Darland, chairwoman of the 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party, said later in a telephone interview.
Indiana Democrat Baron Hill will end his campaign for the state’s open Senate seat to make way for a comeback effort by former Sen.
Young’s campaign says the Senate seat “isn’t the birthright of a wealthy lobbyist from Washington”.
CNN reported Monday that Bayh will run for his old Senate seat, now held by retiring GOP Sen. His opponent, Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Todd Young, has about $1.2 million in the bank.
He served two terms as IN secretary of state and two terms as IN governor before being elected to the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Bayh has served as a “strategic adviser” to numerous firm’s top clients, according to the company’s website. Hill has struggled to raise campaign contributions.
News confirmed Bayh’s decision Monday morning.
Rumors are flying today after Indiana U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Baron Hill announced he was dropping out of the race.
Nearly as quickly as those announcements came out, reports began to emerge that Democrats might already have their replacement. His sudden emergence this year must make Republican nominee Representative Todd Young, a heavy favorite over Hill, wonder what he did to offend the Almighty. He was a member of and for four years served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, which helped Bill Clinton win the presidency in 1992. Coats, notably, also worked as a lobbyist before running again for the Senate in 2010.
Hill said he is pulling out to give Democrats a better chance of taking the Senate.
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Democrats led by Sen. Evan Bayh is expected to run in his place.
