It’s been a long, steady fall for Democrat Evan Bayh.
Liberals cheered when, at the last minute, the former governor and senator of Indiana announced his campaign to seek office once again in the U.S. Senate. Despite its red tilt, Bayh was reveling in insurmountable name recognition in the Hoosier State. As recently as the beginning of October, Bayh was enjoying a six-point lead against Republican congressman Todd Young.
The latest Senate poll to come out of Indiana shows how far from grace Bayh has fallen.
Breaking #INSen @MonmouthPoll:
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) October 31, 2016
Young 45
Bayh 45
The race is officially a dead heat.
Two main elements are at play in discerning why his Senate hopes have sunk so far. Todd Young and his campaign have been successful in pointing out Bayh’s lobbying habits since leaving the senate in 2011. For a long time, Bayh has been living outside of his “home” state and benefited greatly from being an insider of the D.C. bubble.
The second thing happening is Trump’s impressive recovery in Indiana. In a state that once seemed a toss-up, the latest polling shows the GOP nominee with an 11-point lead. The coat-tail factor is always at play with down-ballot candidates. It also helps the second man on the ticket is Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Either way, Bayh will probably be in D.C. again after Election Day. If the GOP keeps up their momentum - it’ll be a lobbying name tag, not a lapel pin, Bayh will be donning to work.