Former Democratic Rep. Baron Hill (right) gives his party a credible Senate candidate
On Friday, former Democratic Rep. Baron Hill announced that he will
run for Indiana's open Senate seat. Hill, who was unseated in the 2010 GOP wave, originally looked likely to seek the governorship, but GOP Sen. Dan Coats' retirement changed his calculations. Hill has the Democratic primary to himself so far, but state Rep. Christina Hale has been talking about running as well. National Democrats would love for ex-Sen. Evan Bayh to jump in, but Bayh
says it's unlikely.
Hill first ran for the Senate all the way back in 1990, losing to Coats 54-46. Hill made it to Congress eight years later, winning a conservative but ancestrally blue southern Indiana district. Hill narrowly lost his 2004 re-election campaign to Mike Sodrel but regained his seat in 2006 and easily held on in 2008. However, the 2010 GOP wave was too much, and Hill was unseated by Todd Young by a decisive 52-42 margin. Hill became a lobbyist afterward, something the GOP will no doubt remind voters if they face him next year.
Hill's entrance gives Democrats a credible candidate who can raise money and knows how to campaign. But Indiana is a conservative state, and Hill is going to need a lot to go right if he's going to win next year. Team Blue would love if tea partying Rep. Marlin Stutzman, who has a bad relationship with his party establishment, emerged as the GOP nominee, but it's no sure thing. Former Coats aide Eric Holcomb is in and several other candidates are considering, including Young. We'll be watching all the developments at Daily Kos Elections.