Sen. Evan Bayh is not running for re-election

Wall Street Journal
Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a centrist Democrat who represents a Republican-leaning state, has decided to retire rather than seek re-election in November, two senior Democratic Party officials said, in a blow to his party.

Mr. Bayh, 54 years old, is the latest in a series of lawmakers who have said they wouldn't run for re-election this year, as polls show rising voter discontent with both parties and Congress in the face of continued high unemployment and a mounting federal deficit.

The retirement of Mr. Bayh, a leading centrist Democrat in the Senate, could prove to be a setback for his party, which recently lost its filibuster-proof majority in that chamber with the election of a Republican to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D., Mass.).

Mr. Bayh, who was first elected to the Senate in 1998, has worked throughout his career to pull his party toward more moderate policies, arguing that Democrats should move more aggressively to lower the national debt, among other things.

He was expected to face a tough re-election battle this fall against former Sen. Dan Coats, a Republican who is seeking to return to Congress after more than a decade in private life.

Couple items from his website (one of the few grandchild friendly):

CHILDREN'S HEALTH: He has been a leader in promoting children's health, writing and passing a bill to improve pediatric health to ensure that every federal dollar authorized for children's health is a dollar spent on the best care available.

RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD: He has been the Senate's foremost leader in promoting responsible fatherhood initiatives, assisting single parents, supporting local organizations that foster family stability, helping fathers reconnect with their children and be the role models their children need them to be.

SAYING "NO" TO WASTE: Bayh has waged a sometimes lonely battle to stop wasteful spending before it starts through balancing the federal budget, ending frivolous earmarks, reining in corporate subsidies and closing tax loopholes. He has voted against billions of dollars in pork barrel projects, including the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere," and helped close the "Bermuda tax loophole" that allowed certain companies to set up P.O. boxes overseas and avoid U.S. taxes.