Right after Bayh entered the race, Democrats touted internal polling bragging of a 21-point lead over Todd Young and Bayh’s ready-made $10 million war chest.
Today, the lead and the cash advantage are both gone. And rather than running away with a Senate seat, Democrats are trying to bail out Bayh with outside spending while media reports – from this weekend alone – pick through the smoldering wreckage of his campaign.
- POLITICO: “THE COLLAPSE OF EVAN BAYH: When Evan Bayh launched a startling comeback bid for his Indiana Senate seat this summer, Republicans vowed to make his return to politics miserable. They weren’t kidding.”
- INDIANAPOLIS STAR: “Bayh chose to remain in Washington, D.C., to take a job with a legal and lobbying firm…And now Bayh, having made millions of dollars because of his insider connections, has decided to seek a return to the Senate…The IndyStar Editorial Board endorses Todd Young for U.S. Senate.”
- TIMES OF NORTHWEST INDIANA: “It’s time for a fresh face and ideas in the U.S. Senate, not old vestiges running on name recognition. Young is our best chance for elevating the seat.”
- WASHINGTON POST: “In Indiana, Evan Bayh’s Image Problem Just Went From Bad To Much Worse.”
- WXIN: “This morning Evan Bayh is waking up after possibly the worst day he’s seen.”
- WISH: “A copy of Bayh’s schedule shows he didn’t even overnight in his Indianapolis condo, not once during his last year in the Senate…it shows he used campaign funds, public money, or even let others pick up the tab.”
- WRTV: “Those records also show that Bayh used taxpayer money to travel to New York to meet with financial leaders during his job hunt in 2010.”
- WTTV: “He says his Indianapolis condominium has long been his home. An Associated Press report says a schedule it received shows Bayh did not stay there overnight once during his last year in the Senate.
- WPTA: “Bayh did not stay overnight at all in his Indiana condo…his primary residence is in Washington, D.C.”
- WSBT: “The AP reports he used campaign funds, public money, or let others pay for it. His primary residence right now is in Washington, D.C.”
- NATIONAL REVIEW: “But as the has campaign trudged on, Bayh has been damaged by a slow procession of stories that question his Indiana residency, his dealings with companies he was responsible for regulating as a senator, and the amount of time he now spends in the state he hopes to once again represent.”
- POLITICO: “Bayh Denies Using Taxpayer Money For Personal Travel”
After limping out of the weekend, Bayh might be expected to engage in some damage control while campaigning in Indiana.
Nope.
Instead, Bayh is spending his Monday raising campaign cash from lobbyists – at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the lobbying firm that still employs him:
“Democrat Evan Bayh will attend two Washington, D.C., fundraisers hosted by top lobbyists on Monday, according to invitations obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
“The first fundraiser is a “lunch with Bayh” hosted at the D.C. offices of McGuireWoods, the lobbying firm where Bayh has been a partner since he retired from the Senate in 2011. The event costs a minimum of $1,000 to attend, according to the invitation.
“Bayh will then head down the street to headline a $1,000 per plate dinner hosted by some of the city’s top lobbyists. Attendees are invited to contribute $2,700 to become cohosts for the event.” (Brent Scher, “Evan Bayh Hits Up DC Lobbyists For Cash In Final Weeks Of Election,” Washington Free Beacon, 10/24/16)
Hard to imagine why Hoosiers might think this guy is out of touch.