Indiana

Good Bayh

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

You can imagine I stayed up all night thinking about that one.  Not really.  But when I saw the story break that Evan Bayh was not going to run for Governor of Indiana in 2012, I was somewhat surprised, but not really shocked at all.  Anyone who’s been paying attention since February should have seen that coming.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about Evan Bayh is that he is not a risk taker by any stretch of the imagination.  I once jokingly said he won’t sneeze without thinking about it for three days.  And if there’s no chance he won’t be successful at an endeavor, it’s not likely he will do it.

Why did he get out of the race for the U.S. Senate back in February, even though he had $12 million in the bank?  He blamed it on Washington’s partisan atmosphere, which I guess must have just come out of nowhere.  He got out because he wasn’t sure he could win.

Why is Evan Bayh getting out of the race for Governor before getting in?  The same reason, he probably doesn’t think he can win.   Hoosiers made it clear in the last election that while they may be willing to split their tickets on occasion, this is still a predominately Republican state.   Second,  Bayh would have had to spend a lot of time mending fences with his own party.  A lot of Democrats are blaming Bayh for their losses this past November.  Liberals, progressives, Blacks, Labor, major Democratic constituencies  have all had an axe to grind with Bayh and those are the people you need if you’re a Democrat running statewide in Indiana.  Also, the fact that Indiana Democratic Chairman Dan Parker has been looking for a new job also tells me that a Bayh run was unlikely as Parker is a close aide and ally.

Bayh getting out of the race for Governor not only opens the race on the Democratic side, but it also opens the race for new leadership to take over the party.   The names that are being circulated for possible contenders are Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel,  Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, Lake County Roy Dominguez,  State Representative Peggy Welsh of Bloomington,  former Speaker of the House John Gregg and former Congressman Baron Hill .  On the Republican side Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and Congressman Mike Pence are the likely candidates.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on December 13, 2010 (boomark / email).