Bayh |
SOUTH BEND — Retiring Sen. Evan Bayh talked mostly about the past — but left the door open for a re-entry into politics — as his farewell tour stopped here this morning.
The Democrat, who has been in statewide office for 22 of the past 24 years, reminisced about his career and mentioned fond memories of north-central Indiana, including the four summers he spent at Culver Military Academy as a teenager, and celebrating Dyngus Day and working with local companies and universities as a candidate and elected official.
Bayh also reminded a small gathering of supporters at Atlantic Aviation that one of his first tasks after being elected secretary of state in 1986 was to oversee a contentious recount in the area’s congressional race. He ruled that U.S. Rep. John Hiler, a Republican, had won the election — a decision that upset some Democrats but matched the reputation Bayh would build as a moderate politician who doesn’t always side with fellow party members.
Bayh flew to South Bend, Fort Wayne, Gary and Indianapolis today to thank Hoosiers for the opportunity to represent them during the past quarter-century, but he also made it clear that his public service is not necessarily finished.
"Although my time in the Senate may be drawing to a conclusion, that does not mean my devotion to the people of Indiana is at an end," he said. "That is something that will be with me for the rest of my life."
Bayh, 54, announced last week that he won’t run for governor in 2012, ending speculation that he might try to return to the job he held from 1989 to 1997. He said today that it wasn’t an easy decision.
"If my sons weren’t in the middle of high school, and it wouldn’t have involved really uprooting them and disturbing their lives, I probably would have run because I love being governor," he said.
"When I just came down to it, the politics argued for doing it," he continued, "but my responsibilities as a father argued against doing it. I felt here for at least three years I should put my responsibilities to my children ahead of political ambition."
Bayh said in February, when he announced he would not run for another Senate term, that increasing partisanship in national politics was the main reason for his decision to leave Congress.
He reiterated that point today, saying, "Particularly in Washington these days, there’s a strong trend against moderates in both parties, and I’m both independent and more moderate. At least at this moment in time, our politics is not promoting and rewarding that kind of behavior. You run the risk of getting marginalized."
But that doesn’t mean he might not run for governor or another public office at some point down the road.
Bayh pointed out that, even though he’s two years older than his father, Birch Bayh, was when he left the Senate in 1981, he’s still seven years younger than the average senator. He also noted that Republican Dan Coats, who represented Indiana in Congress from 1981 to 1999, was out of public office for 12 years before being elected to the Senate again this year.
"So you never know, you never know. I’m not predicting that, but you never know," Bayh said. "I do love public service, I love helping people, and at some point that’s a possibility."
<i>Staff writer Kevin Allen:
kallen@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6244</i>
