Indiana's 2010 Senatorial Race - Bayh Retirement Could Shift Balance of Power in U. S. Congress

Hoosiers face several important decisions at the polls this year, including the election of a new Secretary of State and several tight U.S Representative votes, but one race that really stands out above the rest is the one for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by former Indiana governor Evan Bayh. This race has implications not only for Indiana, but potentially for the nation as a whole, giving Hoosiers a rare opportunity to amplify their political voices on the national level. Indiana Republicans, in particular, can flex their muscles this year and change the balance of power in United States politics.

When Bayh announced his retirement from the Senate in February, it sent shivers throughout the US political system. His seat was expected to be hotly contested, anyway, as Republicans fight to take back some of the congressional ground that they have lost over the last few years, and Bayh's exit has only strengthened the GOP's resolve to make a clean sweep of Indiana's Senate seats. According to the Republican National Committee (RNC), Indiana Republicans are feeling so empowered that they've partnered with the RNC to launch the D2H Victory Campaign , aimed at pushing GOP candidates to victory, from Delaware to Hawaii ("D2H"). Indiana's available Senate seat is clearly seen by the GOP as the fulcrum with which they can topple the Democrat's apple cart.

The man picked by Republicans to carry Indiana's torch this fall is Dan Coats. Coats was the U.S. Representative for Indiana's 4th District from 1981-89 before grabbing Vice President Dan Quayle's Senate seat in 1989. Before Coats' retirement in 1999, he showed a propensity for being thoughtful in his voting decisions, not necessarily voting along party lines just for the sake of it. This diplomacy earned him a gig as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany and will probably serve him well in this election. Although some staunch conservatives may wish that Coats leaned further to the right, his middle-of-the-road stances should make him appealing to undecided or "moderate" voters who don't like what has been happening in America over the last couple of years.

To combat Coats' strong Indiana history and wide appeal, the Dems have tagged current 8^th District U.S. Representative Brad Ellsworth. Ellsworth's voting record as a congressman is publicly available, and it reads like a mirror of President Obama's agenda. From healthcare reform to spurious stimulus packages, he tends to vote with his part. Ellsworth's election here would be an especially harsh blow to the GOP, as he would undoubtedly continue to toe the Democrat party line more closely than Bayh did.

Interestingly, Bayh's retirement puts two Democrat seats in Indiana up for grabs, since Ellsworth is vacating his current Representative post, a move which, in itself, may not be viewed favorably by voters in the 8^th District. This environment seems ripe for picking by the aggressive GOP of 2010.

Two years after the sweeping elections of 2008 that brought Barack Obama to the White House and gave Democrats a clean sweep of the U. S. Congress, the American economy is still flagging, and voters are rumbling. These circumstances conspire to give the Republican Party a tremendous opportunity to regain some of their lost congressional seats and, at least, to restore balance to the political landscape. And, like no election in recent memory, Indiana voters find themselves at the center of all the excitement. By choosing Dan Coats for our open U. S. Senate seat, Hoosier voters can start an avalanche that just might lead to a better days ahead for the entire nation.