State Senator Vi Simpson and former Congressman Tim Roemer are two new names being discussed in political circles with Simpson being the one getting the most attention. At the same time, Joe Donnelly is out, and Joe Kernan says he's a definite no as well.
As politics is the fine art of reading tea leaves, Representative Brad Ellsworth is definitely in the hunt just by virtue of missing an opportunity to exclude himself. Ellsworth makes the most sense for party pragmatists looking to hold the seat at all costs. He can orchestrate a "don't break the Bayh mold" strategy. The difference is that Senator Bayh quietly protected a woman's right to choose and marshalled a respectable record on human rights.
Ellsworth, in contrast, has crossed some socially progressive Democrats and voted against an important prevailing wage amendment that hurt the building trades. If Ellsworth starts to look like "the guy," expect a progressive revolt unless he privately disavows some prior votes, which he could certainly do without being deemed inconsistent. A congressman's job is to represent his district, and the Indiana 8th has different interests than the entire State of Indiana.
5 comments:
Why give up Hill or Ellsworth’s seat? (never would vote for Ellsworth anyway – waaaay too conservative)
Why not pick someone who isn’t doing anything but can raise money, like Woody Myers or David Orentlicher? They might not have statewide name recognition, but a lot of voters already know who they are and have shown they can run effective campaigns against a shoe-in (& this is Coats we’re talking about).
I agree. We're going to struggle mightily to keep the house, BUT if Senator Bayh's goal is to clear the 2012 Democratic field for Governor, he'll need to offer something to keep Ellsworth out. This is all rampant speculation because who knows at this point what the Senator will do.
Here is a first I am hearing...Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-indianasenate-dem,0,5508678.story
I do not think we should play our "Hill card" or our "Ellsworth card" when we are up against such a weak Republican candidate. Both of these guys would be good candidates for governor once Bayh decides to quit that.
And that would basically throw another congressional seat to the R's. We won't ever get any work done on a national level if we can not control the House. Wonder what Obama thinks of all this?
All we need to replace Bayh is someone who has had moderate success with R's in a close race, preferably someone who went on to win it.
That's just my two cents though and the state party will obviously end up doing whatever it wants.
The more I learn of Ellsworth's views and votes, the less I want him to be my senate.
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