Bayh Seat Coveted by Indiana GOP

Indiana Republicans are lining up for what promises to be a crowded May 4 primary contest to run for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by popular Democrat Evan Bayh, the Indianapolis Star reports.

At least four Republicans -- possibly more -- were aiming to meet the Tuesday filing deadline, the newspaper reported. Among the most prominent: former Sen. Dan Coats, who retired from the Senate in 1999, and former Rep. John Hostettler.

Indiana voted for President Obama in 2008 after 40 years of Republican dominance in presidential elections. But the state is regarded as very much in play and a severe challenge for just about any Democrat other than Evan Bayh as the midterm election approaches.

"Hoosiers at the grassroots have responded with tremendous enthusiasm to Dan Coats' candidacy because they want to be seen and heard in Washington, " Coats spokesman Kevin S. Kellems told the newspaper. "Gathering them (qualifying signatures) on such short notice shows that Hoosiers want a check and balance on the president's extreme liberal agenda."

But Coats, 66, will almost certainly have to compete with some younger, fresh-faced candidates.

The Washington Post offered a list of winners and losers in the wake of Bayh's surprising announcement. Among the winners: Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a photogenic moderate -- like Bayh in that regard -- who could be near the front of the line among Democrats running for Bayh's seat. The losers included "centrist" lawmakers. "The Senate is rapidly becoming more and more like the House with the vast majority of members occupying the ends rather than the center of the political spectrum," the Post's Chris Cillizza wrote.

As for Bayh's future, the senator after announcing his retirement Monday told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he will not run for the White House in 2012. Bayh was on Obama's short list for vice president in 2008 and has considered presidential campaigns in the past.