Ellsworth and Coats Fight for Indiana Senate Seat

t's been an interesting year in Indiana politics. Gone is the Incumbent edge. Two high profile stories have shaped the election climate in the state of Indiana. Senator Evan Bayh is not running for re-election in 2010. This was announced earlier in 2010. Bayh has had a significant impact on the decrease of the incumbency effect. According to his website, Bayh has publically opposes Washington politics and the actions of fellow incumbents. He thinks Washington is no longer effective in passing legislation and serving the American public. It appears that voters agree with Bayh. The backlash against incumbents is caused by the "business as usual" mentality in Washington.

His seat is up for grabs! 2010 will be a completive election year in the state of Indiana. Democrat Brad Ellsworth will go against Republican Dan Coats. In a difficult political year, it is unclear which party has the edge. Ellsworth is a member of the incumbent party, however Indiana's struggling economy may give Republicans the edge.

Neither party has the edge in this case. The key issue will be the economy. Indiana residents care about the economy. Hoosiers continue to lose jobs at an alarming rate. Both candidates have a lot to prove to Indiana residents. They want both quick and long term solutions to the economic problems they are facing. The recession may be technically over but its impact on lifestyle can still be felt. Ellsworth will have to separate himself from the more liberal aspects of the Democrat party in order to bag conservative Indiana Voters. He will have to accurately show what he can do for the state of Indiana. He will have to be similar to fellow democrat and longtime Indiana politician, Evan Bayh. So far, Ellsworth has done a good job of showing his conservative democratic sensibility. Coats will have to challenge the Democrats during the rest of his campaign. His strength is the economy.

As a lifelong Democrat, I will most likely vote for Ellsworth. I disagree, fundamentally on every stance Coats has. I disagree with him firmly for his social and economic policies. Indiana Republicans tend to be values voters, so he might have a slight edge with that group. I actually predict that coats could win the 2010 election. If so, this would be very telling for the democrats. The open seat was previously held by a Democrat, and the State of Indiana previously voted for Barack Obama.