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Evan Bayh

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Evan Bayh is a former Senator for Indiana

Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III, a Democrat, is a former U.S. Senator from Indiana having served from 1999 to 2011 and is a former Governor of Indiana. In February 2010 Bayh announced that he would not seek re-election. The seat was won by Republican Dan Coats who formerly was Senator for Indiana 1989 to 1999.(map)[1]

Contents

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Evan Bayh voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Iraq War

Bayh voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

For more information see the chart of U.S. Senate votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Bio

Background

Bayh was born December 26, 1955 in Shirkieville, Indiana. His father, Birch Bayh, was a Senator from 1963 to 1981 and ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1976, but lost it to Jimmy Carter. Evan Bayh released a biography in 2003 entitled From Father to Son: A Private Life in the Public Eye. He describes growing up as the son of Senator Birch Bayh and emphasizes the importance of active, responsible fatherhood.

Evan Bayh graduated with honors in business, economics and public policy from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 1978, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, and received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Virginia in 1981. After clerking for a federal court judge and entering private law practice in Indianapolis, he was elected Indiana's Secretary of State in 1986.

Bayh was elected Governor of Indiana in 1988 and re-elected in 1992 with the highest percentage of the vote in a statewide election in modern Indiana history. Stressing fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, job creation and lean government, Bayh's tenure as governor was highlighted by: eight years without raising taxes; the largest single tax cut and budget surplus in state history; "welfare-to-work"-type social programs; increasing annual school funding; high academic standards and new college opportunities; the creation of over 350,000 new jobs; strengthened law enforcement; and improved environmental quality. He signed the 21st Century Scholars Act in 1992, legislation which says that every child growing up in Indiana who is eligible for the free lunch program in a public school, graduates from high school with passing grades, and signs a pledge not to experiment with illegal drugs, is entitled to a full college scholarship to a public university of his or her choice. By the end of his second term, Bayh had an approval rating of nearly 80 percent [1].

Senate career

Bayh was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998 to the seat once held by his father. He won with 64% of the vote, the largest victory margin ever by a Democrat in a U.S. Senate race in Indiana. He easily won reelection in 2004, receiving 62% of the vote.

From 2001 to 2005, Bayh served as Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the longest term of any DLC chair (previous DLC Chairmen included Bill Clinton and Joe Lieberman). He is also a member of the Senate Centrist Coalition and helped establish the New Democrat Coalition.

Bayh voted against confirming Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Justice Samuel Alito. He has also become increasingly critical of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, for which he voted. Some viewed Bayh's shift as being an attempt to woo liberal Democrats who make up a large part of the presidential primary electorate.

On January 20, 2006, Bayh introduced a resolution to deal with Iran's nuclear program. The resolution calls for economic sanctions created with the goal of deterring Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Such sanctions include:

  • Cutting off supplies of refined gasoline to Iran,
  • Cutting assistance to countries whose companies invest in Iran's energy sector,
  • Enacting a worldwide, comprehensive ban on arms sales to Iran,
  • Withdrawing U.S. support for Iran's accession to the WTO, and
  • Calling on the UN Security Council to limit travel of some Iranian officials, reduce diplomatic exchanges with Iran, and ban Iran from participating in world events such as the World Cup and the Olympics.

[2]

Presidential candidate?

Bayh was considered a possible running mate for Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election and was selected by Bill Clinton to give the keynote address at the 1996 Democratic National Convention to reinforce his efforts to cast himself and the Democratic Party with a new moderate image. In May 2000, Bill Clinton said, "I hope and expect some day I'll be voting for Evan Bayh for President of the United States" [3].

Some pundits initially considered Bayh to be a possible running mate for presidential candidate John Kerry in the 2004 election because his native Indiana was a key state in the important Midwest. Indiana has long been a Republican stronghold in presidential races, however, and it would almost certainly not be a swing state unless Bayh were nominated.

Bayh was also considered to be a possible 2008 Presidential nominee, due to his appeal to "Red State" voters and his perceived electability. In the 2004 election he received more votes in Indiana than George W. Bush, a feat unheard of by a Democrat in a state as staunchly Republican as Indiana. Some believe that Bayh would be a very appealing moderate in some future presidential campaign, with many critics portraying a candidate like Hillary Clinton as too liberal and polarizing. Bayh is often mentioned as leading or complementing a ticket of other possible moderates such as Governor Mark R. Warner of Virginia, Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, or Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico. Bayh already has a large war chest of 9.5 million dollars, making him secure financially no matter what he decides to do.

Bayh has engaged in activities that many characterized as the laying the foundation for a Presidential run in 2008. On June 9, 2005, Bayh addressed Iowa business and civic leaders and told reporters he would travel to the state in August. On July 15, Bayh spent the weekend in New Hampshire. He has spoken to groups of Democrats in the potential swing states of Wisconsin, Ohio and Colorado. In addition, Bayh has conducted fundraisers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis.

On December 3, 2006, Bayh announced that he would be forming an exploratory committee, the first step toward making a formal presidential bid, within a few days. With such a body set up, he could begin to formally raise money for his campaign. [4] Only two weeks later though, on December 16, 2006, Bayh announced that he would not pursue the Democratic nomination, however, as his chances of winning it were too remote. [5]

2008 elections

 This information was gathered by volunteer researchers as part of the Superdelegate Transparency Project on the superdelegates for the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. For more info see the Indiana superdelegate tracker or visit the STP homepage.


Before Hillary Clinton conceded the race, Evan Bayh, as a superdelegate, had endorsed her for President.

For more information and sources, see the state page for this superdelegate linked to in the blue box above.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. <crpcontribdata>cid=N00003762&cycle=2006</crpcontribdata>

Links to more campaign contribution information for Evan Bayh
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2006 election cycle Career totals

Committees and affiliations

Committees

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

Coalitions and caucuses

Boards and other affiliations

More background data

Wikipedia also has an article on Evan Bayh. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC Office:
463 Russell Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5623
Fax: 202-228-1377
Email: senator AT bayh.senate.gov
Web Email
Website

District Office - Evansville:
101 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812-465-6500
Fax: 812-465-6503

District Office - Fort Wayne:
1300 South Harrison Street, Suite 3161
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Phone: 260-426-3151
Fax: 260-420-0060

District Office - Hammond:
5400 Federal Plaza, Suite 3200
Hammond, IN 46320
Phone: 219-852-2763
Fax: 219-852-2787

District Office - Indianapolis:
1650 Market Tower
10 West Market Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-554-0750
Fax: 317-554-0760

District Office - Jeffersonville:
1201 East Tenth Street, Suite 106
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Phone: 812-218-2317
Fax: 812-218-2370

District Office - South Bend:
Leighton Plaza
130 South Main Street, Suite 110
South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: 574-236-8302
Fax: 574-236-8319

Resources & articles

References

  1. ↑ Evan Bayh profile, The Washington Post, accessed January 2011.
  2. ↑ Advisory Board, The Israel Project, accessed May 21, 2008.

Resources

Related SourceWatch articles

Local blogs and discussion sites

Articles

Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

Current Office: U.S. Senate
111th Congress
Leadership Position:
 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Committees:
110th Congress
Leadership Position:
None		 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Senate Centrist Coalition
Committees: Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Airland, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs, Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs/Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs/Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance, Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs/Subcommittee on Securities Insurance and Investment, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Congressional Career
First Elected to Current Office:
November 3, 1998		 First Took Current Office:
January 6, 1999		 Next Election:
November 2, 2010		 Term Ends:
Freshman Member?
No		 Previous Political Work?
Indiana governor, Indiana secretary of state		 Other Party Membership:
District Offices:
1. 101 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812-465-6500 / Fax: 812-465-6503
2. 1300 South Harrison Street, Suite 3161 Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Phone: 260-426-3151 / Fax: 260-420-0060
3. 5400 Federal Plaza, Suite 3200 Hammond, IN 46320
Phone: 219-852-2763 / Fax: 219-852-2763
4. 1650 Market Tower 10 West Market Street Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-554-0750 / Fax: 317-554-0760
5. 1201 East Tenth Street, Suite 106 Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Phone: 812-218-2317 / Fax: 812-218-2370
6. Leighton Plaza 130 South Main Street, Suite 110 South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: 574-236-8302 / Fax: 574-236-8319
Campaign Contact:

Website:
Webform Email: / Email:

Campaign Offices:

1.
Phone: / Fax:
Zip Code Affiliations:
Misc:

Date of Birth: December 26, 1955







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