Democratic Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana announced Monday he will not be running for re-election.
The announcement comes as a surprise as the two term Senator, who has never lost an election, was leading his Republican opponent by a margin of 20 points in a recent poll.
Bayh said his decision to leave Washington was due to the “overly partisan climate” on Capital Hill; “ “To put it in the words most Hoosiers can understand: I love working for the people of Indiana, I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress,” Bayh said in comments prepared for an announcement later Monday in Indianapolis.
Democrats only have until Friday to find a replacement for Bayh on the ticket, a tough order to fill as candidates must have 500 valid signatures by the Friday deadline in order to qualify.
One possible candidate to fill Bayh’s shoes is Indiana Representative Brad Ellsworth.
Bayh’s departure is a blow to Democrats who are rapidly losing their already thin majority. Last week fellow congressional Democrats Christopher Dodd of Conneticut and Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island also announced they would not seek re-election.
Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is retiring, and Democrats have yet to find anyone to challenge the Republican, Gov. John Hoeven. Democrats also failed to recruit their top candidate in Delaware. Biden’s son, Beau Biden, eschewed a run against Republican Mike Castle.
