Sen. Evan Bayh (D) Elected 1998, 2d term up 2010
Born:	Dec. 26, 1955, Shirkieville
Home:	Indianapolis
Education:	IN U., B.S. 1978, U. of VA, J.D. 1981
Religion:	Episcopalian
Marital Status:	married (Susan)
Elected  Office:	IN Secy. of State, 1986-88; IN Gov., 1988-96.
Professional Career:	Practicing atty., 1981-86, 1997-98; Visiting Prof., Indiana U., 1997-98.
DC Office	463 RSOB20510, 202-224-5623; Fax: 202-228-1377; Web site: bayh.senate.gov
State Offices	Evansville, 812-465-6500; Fort Wayne, 260-426-3151; Hammond, 219-852-2763; Indianapolis, 317-554-0750; Jeffersonville, 812-218-2317; South Bend, 574-236-8302.
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Evan Bayh (pronounced BY) was elected in 1998 to the Senate seat his father Birch Bayh first won in 1962 when Evan was just 6. He grew up mostly in Washington, graduated from Indiana University and the University of Virginia Law School, then returned to Indiana to practice law--and politics. His father, a charismatic candidate, beat three serious opponents: Incumbent Senator Homer Capehart in 1962, later-Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus in 1968, and future Senator Richard Lugar in 1974. But in 1980, with Evan helping run the campaign, he lost to Dan Quayle. In 1986, at 30, Evan Bayh was elected secretary of state, often a steppingstone office. In 1988, at 32, he ran for governor. Republicans had held the office and controlled most of Indiana state government for 20 years. However, their smoothly run machine had grown sluggish: The Republican nominee promised innovation, but Bayh was a young and fresh face. As governor, he balanced the budget, cut taxes and piled up a $1.6 billion budget surplus. He trimmed a deficit in state pension plans and sliced Medicaid spending. He claimed credit for the creation of 350,000 jobs, as Indiana's manufacturing economy revived. He did less to reform education and other government services, but he was immensely popular when he left office.

It was widely expected that Bayh would run for the Senate in 1998, and in December 1996, incumbent Republican Dan Coats announced he would not run for reelection. Bayh's 1998 opponent was Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke, who had backed tax increases in Fort Wayne and who even had kind words for the Clintons, whom he had known since law school; he narrowly won the Republican primary with 35% against two more conservative candidates. Helmke argued that Bayh "still comes across a little the empty suit." But Bayh's platform--a balanced budget, saving Social Security, raising education standards and a "fairer, flatter" tax--preempted the Hoosier political center. He ran ads showing his wife extolling his accomplishments, saying he "cracked down on deadbeat dads, sponsored Indiana's fatherhood initiative … worked to make our schools safer and drug-free and to move people from welfare to work." Bayh won 64%-35%, carrying 88 of 92 counties, although it is a victory that probably never would have happened if Birch Bayh had not beaten Homer Capehart by 10,000 votes 36 years before--one election can make a big difference.

In the Senate, Bayh has pursued the issues he campaigned on. If his father had a mostly liberal voting record, Evan Bayh has been one of the most moderate Democrats. He has irritated important Democratic constituency groups. He voted for normal trade relations with China in 2000. In 2004 he took a somewhat different approach, sponsoring a trade bill that would allow countervailing duties on China and other non-market countries and revive Super 301 actions. He voted in 1999 and 2003 to ban partial-birth abortions; he says he opposes abortion personally, but in most instances doesn't want to impose his religious beliefs on others; as governor, he vetoed an 18-hour waiting period. He was one of two Democrats and one of only 21 senators to vote against allowing the importing of foreign price-controlled prescription drugs in July 2000. This was portrayed as truckling to Eli Lilly, one of Indiana's biggest employers and on whose board Bayh served in 1997-98, but his stand was vindicated when HHS Secretary Donna Shalala declined to enforce the law later in the year. In March 2005 he voted to give the federal government authority to negotiate lower drug prices.

In May 2000, Bayh and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman sponsored a revision of the basic federal aid to education act, which would increase spending by $35 billion over five years, target poor-performing school districts, foster English proficiency among immigrants, promote public school choice and demand accountability of teachers and students. Many of these measures became part of the Bush education bill, for which Bush gave Bayh some of the credit. But Bayh voted against the Bush tax cut, voted against the confirmation of Attorney General John Ashcroft and criticized the Bush energy package. With Tom Carper, he sponsored a welfare reauthorization bill that would raise the work week to 40 hours and the work participation rate to 70%, and also provide grants to nonprofits and faith-based organizations to encourage men to take responsibility for their children. He has had a penchant for spotting early problems that make headlines later. In January 2004 he and Larry Craig introduced a bill to require the CDC to estimate need for vaccines and to buy back unused doses; later in the year there was a flu vaccine shortfall but the bill was not passed. In May 2004 he got the Armed Services Committee to vote $610 million for more humvees that could be armored (the vehicles are produced in South Bend but armored in Fairfield, Ohio); this became a hot issue in December 2004 when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked about the armor by a reservist in Iraq.

Bayh serves on the Intelligence and Armed Services Committees and has backed the Bush administration in the war on terrorism. After September 11 he said that Congress should "think carefully about a more proactive response to terrorism. We should think carefully about some of the prohibitions that have been put in place the last 30 years." He was one of the Democrats who early on indicated he would support a resolution authorizing military force in Iraq and continued to support the administration in 2003 and 2004. But when Rumsfeld came before Armed Services after publication of the Abu Ghraib abuse photos, he asked him if he might step down to "demonstrate how seriously we take the situation and therefore help to undo some of the damage to our reputation." Rumsfeld replied, "That's possible." He supported the intelligence overhaul bill recommended by the 9/11 Commission and sponsored an amendment to allow the Intelligence Committee to set its own priorities.

After then-Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan said in December 2002 he wouldn't run for governor in 2004, some Democrats wanted Bayh to run, but he said no a month later. His reelection was never in doubt. He won 62%-37%, with a slightly lower percentage than in 1998, carrying 86 of 92 counties, but with the highest number of popular votes ever for an Indiana senator--a considerable achievement as George W. Bush was carrying the state 60%-39%.

Birch Bayh ran for president in 1976 and Evan Bayh has often been mentioned as a candidate for national office. In July 2000, he was on Al Gore's short list of vice presidential possibilities. But leaders of feminist organizations opposed him because of his vote for a partial-birth abortion ban. In June 2001, he announced he wouldn't run for president in 2004; it would keep him away for too long from his young children. But he held the door open for a vice presidential nomination. In July 2003 he was asking, "Do we want to vent or do we want to govern?" and as the Democratic National Convention convened said he, Blanche Lincoln and Tom Carper would start a "Third Way" think tank. Since February 2001, he has been chairman of the moderate Democratic Leadership Council, which helped foster the national career of Bill Clinton. After the November 2004 election Bayh seemed open to running for president in 2008. "I do think that whatever's right for the Democratic party and right for the American people will be found in the center, both geographically and ideologically. National security, economic growth, making government accountable and fiscal discipline, and then showing we're in tune with middle American values--I think that's the right approach."

Committees

• Aging (Special).
• Armed Services: Airland; Emerging Threats & Capabilities; Readiness & Management Support.
• Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs: Financial Institutions; International Trade & Finance (RMM); Securities & Investment.
• Intelligence (Select).
• Small Business & Entrepreneurship.

Group Ratings (More Info)
	ADA	ACLU	AFS	LCV	ITIC	NTU	COC	ACU	NTLC	CHC
2004	90	56	100	100	92	25	65	20	25	33	--
2003	75	--	89	74	--	26	48	30	--	--	--

National Journal Ratings (More Info)
	2003 LIB	--	2003 CONS		2004 LIB	--	2004 CONS
Economic	59%	--	40%		58%	--	39%
Social	59%	--	37%		70%	--	26%
Foreign	54%	--	44%		53%	--	46%
For National Journal's complete 2004 Vote Ratings, as well as previous ratings dating back to 1995, please click here.

Key Votes Of The 108th Congress (More Info)
1. Ban Drilling in ANWR Y 2. Approve Bush Tax Cuts N 3. Medicare/Rx Bill N 4. Bar Overtime Pay Regs. Y 5. Energy Bill N 6. Support Roe v. Wade Y		7. Ban Partial-Birth Abortion Y  8. Assault Weapons Ban Y  9. Ban Same-Sex Marriage N 10. Ban Bunker-Buster Bomb N 11. Fund Iraq War Y 12. Restrict Missile Defense N

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Evan Bayh (D)	1,496,976	62%	$2,250,428
	Marvin Scott (R)	903,913	37%	$2,242,526
	Other	27,344	1%
2004 primary	Evan Bayh (D)	unopposed
1998 general	Evan Bayh (D)	1,012,244	64%	$3,914,375
	Paul Helmke (R)	552,732	35%	$642,784
	Other	23,641	1%