Washington corporate superlobbyist Evan Bayh should probably cancel the newspaper delivery service tomorrow morning at his JW Marriott hotel room.
The two largest papers in Indiana just "strongly endorsed" Todd Young as the "best choice for Senate":
The Indianapolis Star: "Editorial: Todd Young is best choice for Senate"
For the past six years, Young has served Indiana’s 9th congressional district capably in the U.S. House…as a member of the House Budget Committee, he helped write a federal budget designed to reduce deficit spending by $6 trillion over the next decade. Young is a fitting successor to the senator he would replace —Republican Dan Coats…As for Bayh, the former governor and two-term senator made clear when he left office in 2010 his deep frustration with the partisan gridlock and dysfunction that plagued Congress then and now. Yet, Bayh chose to remain in Washington, D.C., to take a job with a legal and lobbying firm. Bayh has insisted during this campaign that he has never worked as a lobbyist. But clearly the former senator was hired to work as a highly compensated adviser to companies doing business with government largely because of his experience on Capitol Hill. And now Bayh, having made millions of dollars because of his insider connections, has decided to seek a return to the Senate. His leap into the race less than six months ago was driven chiefly by his party’s opportunity to regain control of the chamber…The IndyStar Editorial Board endorses Todd Young for U.S. Senate.
The Times of Northwest Indiana: "Young for U.S. Senate"
Young, a former Marine intelligence officer, is well versed in veterans issues and wants to bring his problem-solving approach to fixing deficiencies in the federal government’s provision of veteran medical benefits and services for veterans. He seems to have a firm grasp on foreign concerns but also exhibits understanding for pressing issues specific to Northwest Indiana…Bayh seems to have joined the 2016 Senate race as an afterthought, tagging in for Democrat Baron Hill…Bayh left political office in 2011, noting congressional gridlock had become too great. Now he claims to be rejoining the race in 2016 to fight against gridlock. We also can’t ignore Bayh’s past political connections to Northwest Indiana political elements that were bad for our Region. Bayh was a political ally of disgraced former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, whose administration was the target of a federal racketeering lawsuit and presided over the concrete-for-votes scandal…Pannos, who was Indiana Democratic Party chairman when Bayh was governor, was at the center of a lawsuit alleging misuse of public East Chicago casino dollars for private business purposes…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.
The two endorsements follow this morning’s bombshell Associated Press report, in which it was revealed that Bayh "didn’t stay overnight in [his] Indiana condo once in 2010."
Instead, while Hoosiers were paying for him to job hunt with CEOs on Wall Street, "the Democrat spent taxpayer money, campaign funds or let other people pay for him to stay in Indianapolis hotels on the relatively rare occasions he returned from Washington, D.C."
Whether it’s in a Washington firm or in an Indianapolis hotel room, Bayh just can’t keep himself out of a lobby.
The Washington Post: "In Indiana’s Senate race, Evan Bayh’s image problem just went from bad to much worse"
The latest headline calling into question Bayh’s commitment to Indiana voters is a doozy. The Associated Press reported Friday that Bayh didn’t stay overnight in his Indiana condo once in 2010, his last year in the Senate. Not once. When he did go to Indiana as a senator that year, he spent taxpayer money, campaign funds or let other people foot the bill for him to stay in hotels…Bayh’s campaign didn’t dispute the record’s authenticity. Meanwhile, every indication is that Bayh was busy his last year in office searching for a lucrative private sector job on the East Coast. The AP also reported he spent $3,000 on taxpayer money on what appeared to be a job-hunting trip to New York. (He eventually became a partner in Virginia-based lobbying firm McGuire Woods.) The AP expanded on Bayh’s job search in another scoop earlier this month: His 2010 schedule shows Bayh spent a substantial amount of time his last year in office looking for a private sector job…It’s hard not to read all these reports and come away with the perception that Bayh spent his last year in office looking out for primarily himself. That’s pretty much the exact opposite messaging you want to give off when you’re asking voters to send you back to Washington to work for you.
The Washington Free Beacon: "Evan Bayh Didn’t Use Indiana Condo Once During Final Year in Senate"
Evan Bayh did not use his Indiana residence during his final year representing the state in the U.S. Senate in 2010, according a copy of his official schedule obtained by the Associated Press. Bayh, now campaigning to regain his Senate seat, has said that a small condo he owns in Indianapolis has long been his home and that he spends “lots and lots and lots” of time there. Records show, however, that even on rare occasions when Bayh would spend the night in Indianapolis he stayed in hotels rather than at his residence.
The Weekly Standard: "Bayh Didn’t Sleep at Indiana Condo Once His Last Year in Office"
Indiana Senate candidate Evan Bayh remains dogged by charges that he bailed on his home state before seeking a return to Congress this year, with a new revelation that the former Democratic senator didn’t stay overnight in his Indianapolis condo once during his last year in office in 2010.
The Daily Caller: "Evan Bayh Is A Carpetbagger"
He wants to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate again, but he wants nothing to do with actual Hoosiers. Evan Bayh has spent his whole political career trying to get the hell out of Indiana.
Hot Air: "AP: Bayh skipped out on Indiana in last year of office, went job-hunting in NY instead"
In 2010, Evan Bayh retired from the Senate, telling his constituents that he wanted to return to teaching and to Indiana. Instead, Bayh stayed in Washington and became a lobbyist, until Democrats recruited him to run for his old seat again this year. Bayh has made much of his Indiana roots, but an investigation by the Associated Press shows that he didn’t feel too rooted there in his last year in the Senate. In fact, he never stayed overnight in the condo he cited as his primary residence in the entire year — and spent taxpayer dollars job-hunting in the Big Apple instead…it appears that not only did Bayh sell out, he used taxpayer dollars to put himself on the auction block.