Evan Bayh is the junior U.S. Senator and former Governor of Indiana. He was considered for the position of Barack Obama's running mate before he chose Joe Biden in his eventually 2008 election victory.
On February 14, 2010, the Indianapolis Starhttp://www.indystar.com/article/20100215/NEWS05/100215009/Evan-Bayh-will-not-seek-reelection reported that Bayh will not seek re-election to the Senate in 2010. Bayh's father Birch Bayh had held the same seat in the senate from 1963 through 1981 when he was defeated by Dan Quayle. After Quayle resigned to become Vice President of the United States, Dan Coats held the seat for ten years until he retired and was succeeded by Bayh in 1999.
Vice Presidential Rumors
On August 6, 2008, Bayh introduced Barack Obama at a town hall style meeting in Elkart Indiana. Bayh's name is rumored to be on a short list of candidates for Obama's running mate.NYT: Evan Bayh On August 21, 2008, it was revealed that a previously unannounced Obama event would be taking place at Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, August 23, 2008. This led to speculation that Bayh could be announced as Obama's running mate at the event.The Huffington Post: Evan Bayh: VP Speculation Hits Fever Pitch (August 21, 2008)
On August 22, 2008, KMBC reported that political literature printing company Gill Studios was printing Obama-Bayh '08 promotional materials.KMBC.com: Bumper Sticker Could Indicate Bayh Is Obama's Veep (August 22, 2008) Soon after news of the stickers broke, MSNBC revealed that Bayh had not been selected as Obama's running mateand that the stickers were fake.MSNBC: NBC: Bayh, Kaine out of Obama’s veep race(August 22, 2008)
Early Life
Bayh, the son of a Senator, attended Indiana University, where he earned a degree in business economics and public policy. He followed that with a Juris Doctor from University of Virginia and began practicing law in the early 1980s.
Political Career
Bayh's political career began as the Secretary of State for Indiana in 1987. Two years later, he became the Governor for two terms. Bayh was elected to the Senate in 1998, where he is a member of five committees:
- Armed Services
- Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Select Committee on Intelligence
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Special Committee on Aging
Evan Bayh Timeline
December 26, 1955: Born
1981: Attained a J.D. from University of Virginia
1988: Elected as the Governor of Indiana
1998: Elected to the U.S. Senate
2006: Bayh announced that he would not run for president in 2008
