Marlin Stutzman has been running for quite some time. He actually seems to be the more conservative candidate.

http://www.gomarlin.com/

He is just like Edwards was in NC. Indiana and NC are both about R+5 states, in which Obama barely eeked out victories in a heavily Democratic year. However, given that Bayh looks like the “boy next door” and talks a good moderate game, he can benefit from the advantages of a complicit media and will probably coast to re-election.

We need just one-time for a hugely popular Republican to oust him, and then this should be a reliably conservative seat for years to come.

He’s on the outa here list with Lugar right next to him. time to get RED all over in Indiana. the tea party movement is not just twiddling their thumbs here ya know.

Brian is spot on — and Gooberment was on the same wavelength in his post on December 27th. I’d advise everyone to read both posts to get a full perspective.

http://www.redstate.com/gooberment/2009/12/27/moderate-sen-evan-bayh-d-in-outed-as-closet-liberal-who-rallied-dems-troops-on-obamacare/

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Also, Brian said “[Bayh's] surname is probably as popular as any in Indiana.” With apologies, I’ll re-state my comment from gooberment’s thread to explain why the Bayh name is very important to this discussion:

Evan Bayh’s father, Democratic Senator Birch Bayh, may have left behind a considerably smaller clan, but his political legacy is just as liberal and just as dangerous as that of Ted Kennedy and his father and brothers, et al. (Interestingly, early in his career, Birch Bayh was in a plane crash with Ted Kennedy, and helped pull him out of the wreckage. They were lifelong compatriots. http://www.newsweek.com/id/213703.)

Evan Bayh was groomed for power, and taught how to play the odds. His full name is Birch Evans Bayh III, but he has NEVER run for office with that name — because his rough-and-tumble dad’s career came to an end as the Reagan Revolution began.

A soft-spoken wolf in sheep’s clothing, Evan Bayh went through the predictable motions of a law practice before getting down to it — becoming a career politician (Indiana Secretary of State in 1986, then Indiana Governor for 2 terms, and now U.S. Senator since 1999).

Indiana voters have been fooled for years, thinking his quiet communication style means he is less of a liberal, and they’ve been tricked by his Senate voting record — one cleverly crafted to keep a low profile on highly sensitive votes.

Much like Bill Clinton, he has always tested the political winds and polls to find out what will keep him popular, and calling himself a fiscal conservative has always protected him from real scrutiny.

I’m not in the least surprised by Bayh’s work behind the scenes to push through this horrific legislation. The patriarch, Birch Bayh campaigned for Obama, and may well be personally involved in this sick power grab, just like his son. The Democrat party is truly FAMILY to Birch and Evan, so the loyalty is deep, and this legislation is a dream come true for a leftist dynasty.

Evan Bayh is — first, last, and always — a liberal Democrat.

or a “hugely popular” name in order to defeat Bayh? If I lived in Indiana–and I thank God I don’t–I would look on the ballot, see a D next to Bayh’s name and know–I mean KNOW–instantly that he’s in favor of tax increases, greater government control of my life, and liberal judges. It’s how he’s voted as a Senator. And now, if God forbid I lived in Indiana I’d know he voted for this health care monstrosity. Based upon knowing all that I’d know to vote against him. But I guess Indiana voters just ain’t that smart.

Shortly before the Healthcare votes, a flurry of stories about Evan Bayh’s growing concern deficit spending starting appearing.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580387,00.html

Nothing happens by accident including this appearance on Fox News. My bet is he has some internal polling that he would prefer not be known … democrats of all stripes are vulnerable in 2010 including his pampered behind. It was time to pull out the I am a “conservative” message right before he votes to add another $2.5 trillion of government spending.

It seems to me that we should not assume any Democrat is safe in 2010. I expect Governor Mitch Daniels would have him running for his political life with just a hint of being interested in his seat. This will not be a year where “conventional wisdom” applies to the coming voter revolution.

ACORN and fake voter registration that produces voter fraud and winners like Al Franken in the results.

As to other lies, Congress swore last spring to freeze its salary but Sens. and Congressmen will get 2.7% cost of living increases that Bernacke and Geithner say doesn’t exist for seniors on Social Sec.

Who is lying? My esteemed representatives Menendez and Lautenberg (a perpetual weekend at Bernie’s) both make $174,000 and will see their raise take them to c. $178,000–not money that’s going into my pocket.

I called Pence’s office in IN asking him to run. I also asked the very popular governor of SD to run against Dorgan. It is frustrating that we can’t get good candidates in this of all years.

…is that Lincoln got a cushy job offer and won’t be running for reelection, cant yet confirm. I think she need to be brought up on charges.

It’s bizarre that Bayh’s seat is not among the top targets this cycle. I got an email a few days ago from the Senate Conservatives Fund about their targets so far this cycle, but Bayh’s seat in Indiana was not among them. I emailed them asking about it, but have not gotten a response yet.

It’s past time for Bayh to answer for his partisan, liberal hackery while representing a conservative state. 2010 is shaping up like the best opportunity to finally take him out. I really hope that conservatives and the GOP do not waste it.

My take is that Bayh will win again simply because the GOP has failed to recruit a top candidate. The one man who could instantly make this race competitive is Mike Pence. Were he to get into the race, I would put the odds at better than even that Bayh would lose. The only other person that might make it competitive is Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, though she is probably less known throughout the state.

My fear is that Pence has his eyes set on the White House in 2012. I personally have a big problem with congressmen who want to jump straight from the House and into the top job. You really have no business even running for President without more experience. But that is beside the point.

Pence will probably have a lot of populist/conservative backing in the 2012 primaries and I’m guessing he’s finding that very tempting. If he doesn’t run for President, he will run for Governor, though he would likely face a primary with Becky Skillman. If he doesn’t do either of those things, he probably wants to stay in the House and become Speaker one day. It boggles my mind, though, is that there is a prime Senate seat ripe for the taking. If he were “Senator Pence,” he’d have a bigger platform, more credibility, and a better shot at that 2012 race.

That said, Bayh will not easily be reelected in 2010. He’s consistently been voted in with very high numbers. No more. I’m guessing that even with a lackluster GOP challenger, he will probably be hovering around 53-55 percent in this environment. If we want to win this seat, Hostettler is going to have to become credible really fast. Possible, but not probable.

You are right about one thing though: Indiana is about to snap back into the dark red column. 2008 was an aberration if there ever was one. Not only will Barack Obama lose this stat in 2012, but the GOP will win back the Indiana State House of Representatives this November. The only glaring hole in this state is the Bayh Senate race.

The bottom line is, Bayh would lose if the GOP got a really good challenger to run against him (like Pence). As it stands, he probably won’t.

I got that email too, and I’m guessing that due to limited resources they are only going to be targetting a few states they think they can win.

But having said that, California is one on the list, and I would think Indiana, which is much more conservative leaning, would be a better bet.

In any case, Pence would make an awesome senator. As long as he wins. And I do think he would have the best chance in defeating Bayh. Pence would be a shoo in for reelection in the House, but I also feel he has more ambitions than that.

I can’t speak for my fellow Hoosiers, but I saw through Bayh’s facade of moderate when he voted against the confirmation of John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It was very obvious that Bayh only opposed Roberts in an effort to pander to the far left base of the Democratic Party in order to better position himself to get his party’s nomination for President.

I for one do not appreciate when someone who was sent to represent the state of Indiana in DC plays politics in Supreme Court nomination confirmations. I will actively campaign against Bayh as long as the Indiana GOP nominates a conservative.

Unfortunately the name Bayh in Indiana is like the name Kennedy in Massachusetts. They are viewed by too many as state royalty. It is my fervent hope that the GOP will nominate someone like Pence or Hostettler, whose track records reflect conservative values and a willingness to stand up for the Constitution. Either man has the background and the support needed to defeat Bayh.

By the time they are running for a third term, the reelection rate is 99%. Health problems and old age don’t beat sitting Senators. It takes a major scandal or the combination of bad PR and the political tide running the other way.

The big donors and national party groups are hesitant to throw scarce resources into long shots like that. The open seats and Senators up for their first reelection are most vulnerable, and will get the lion’s share of the money because the odds are just much better.

A guy like Ben Nelson may have bought himself a load of trouble with his very public betrayal of pro-life groups and sale of his vote for earmark favors. Bayh has taken great pains to avoid that. The case against him may be just as valid or even more valid, but his fingerprints aren’t all over the bill. It will be a stretch to damage him with it, and there isn’t much else besides a slavish devotion to voting with Obama and Reid, but he’s been pretty much a party-line guy his whole career, and it hasn’t hurt him yet.

Despite voting Republican in most recent presidential elections, Indiana has always had a strong tie to the Dem party. This can be traced way back to the days when the Dem party still had some legitimate claim to being the party of the common man (long since gone out the window, of course). And there was a period around the Civil War when a lot of Hoosier sentiment (Copperheads) aligned with southern Democrats. Some folks still vote Democrat just because Daddy and Granddaddy and Great Uncle Harold did.

Today, the labor vote in “The Region” of the northwest corner of the state is still a major factor, sadly. Lots of knee-jerk “I’m a working man so I’m voting Democrat” nonsense. The usual urban liberal warpage is found in Indianapolis, of course. And the pockets of inane leftism surrounding Bloomington and other college towns is pronounced.

Despite those liberal abberations, my prediction is a return to Indiama being bright red in 2012, with 2010 being a precursor.

This post is not about Bayh but i wanted all the readers of this article to be aware of this also.
The Mass. Senate Race Jan.19.
This is one of the most important Senate races ever in the USA. With only about 25% of the electorate vothing I believe that We, Democrates, Republicans, independents and Tea Party people can win this one and stop the socialist so called health bill. A true health care bill is needed but this is not it. Support for Scott Brown on Jan.19 will stop this nightmare which will destroy State budgets, Medicare, Hospitals, Insurance Companys and Freedom. Elect Scott now to stop this nightmare these politicians have been putting us through. Later you can vote on him again.

All through his political career, Bayh has worked hard to create a “moderate” or “fiscal conservative” aura around himself. That has always been a false image, something he could hide behind at election time.

But with his open support for the most blatant socialist power grab in history, that false persona is out the window now, and it’s apparent to anyone paying attention.

If the Republican Party can focus and get the message out, Bayh can be beaten.

Surely a politician wouldn’t lie, would he????