Pence Weighing Bid Against Bayh (IN-SEN)

[brooklynite]

Source: CQ Politics

Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) will meet with the National Republican Senatorial Committee Thursday to discuss a potential campaign against Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), GOP aides confirmed on Wednesday.

...snip...Pence, who is serving his fifth term, must come to a decision soon. The candidate filing period began Wednesday and will close Feb. 19. The primary election is May 4.

Four Republicans already are challenging Bayh: former Rep. John Hostettler; state Sen. Marlin Stutzman; Don Bates Jr., a businessman; and Richard Behney, an anti-tax "tea party" activist.

Bayh, a former Indiana governor, dominated the vote in his two Senate races and had $12.7 million in his campaign account at the end of September. Republican strategists think he could be vulnerable this year in part because of his vote for a Democratic-written health care bill.

Read more: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/01/pence-weighing-bid-against-bay.html

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Before anyone posts the inevitable "Dump the DINO and run a 'real' Democrat" reply, I'd like to understand how successful a progressive candidate is likely to be running statewide (yes, Obama won, but he wasn't running on the Incumbent party line).

[nashville_brook]

1. a primary challenge from the left wouldn't hinge on an Incumbent party line...it would actually

be the opposite of that.

[jgraz]

2. What's the point of winning an election if you end up with a useless turd like Bayh?

Use the Russ Feingold model. Find a real, fire-breathing progressive and run him/her in the primary.

[boomerbust]

3. It sounds like

The Pukes are going to go after Feingold real hard this year.

[jgraz]

4. Good luck with that

Few people are more respected in their state than Russ Feingold.

[rayofreason]

5. And few are more respected in Indiana...

...than Evan Bayh.


Indiana is pretty Red overall (even though there have been plenty of D governors - such as the Bayhs), so any candidate with statewide appeal has to be of the DLC mold at best.

[Hardrada]

6. Too many people from the US South migrated into Indiana

and not enough from Northern European countries. Thus more intractable racism and less sense of communitarian responsibility.

[24601]

7. OK, you get the choice of Bayh or Coburn - tell me there's no

difference. Did Coburn vote to cut off debate for HCR? Did Coburn vote for Justice Sotomayor? Before you cut down the size of the tent, think about how the other tent would grow as a consequence. If you want a Republican majority, go ahead and run off the moderate to conservative Dems. You not only won't get the bills you care about, you'll get the ones you absolutely abhor.

[AwakeAtLast]

8. NOOOOOOO!!!!

He's bad enough just in my district. :banghead: