The Indiana Senate race is a pure toss-up. When Evan Bayh entered the race July 11, this was unthinkable. Up 21 points in an internal poll, Bayh seemed to be on course for an easy victory.
By Monday, this lead had been entirely erased. Bayh and his challenger, Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, are even, and the Young campaign has the momentum going into the last week of the campaign.
Young has been absolutely relentless in his charge back from certain defeat. It would have been naïve to assume the spread would have remained at 21 points. However, it’s still quite impressive that Young has bridged the gap.
This has happened because Young’s campaign has controlled the campaign’s narrative and has capitalized on negative media coverage of Bayh’s scandals.
Bayh has been embroiled in numerous scandals, including, but not limited to, using $200,000 of taxpayer funds for personal travel, a votes-for-hire scandal, being an inactive voter in Indiana and more. Bayh wouldn’t have even attained in-state status if he were a student at IU.
Even worse, he didn’t even know his address in Indiana. To add to Bayh’s conundrum, he claims he never left Indiana. It turns out that he did.
As a member of the House of Representatives, Young has also been a great advocate for the constituents of the 9th District. By proposing good legislation, such as the Act and fighting for the repeal of the medical device tax, which killed hundreds of jobs in the district, Young is a true civil servant. Bear in mind that Bayh cast the deciding vote for the law that killed those jobs. Bayh passed a measly two bills in his 12 years in Senate.
Voters deserve to know about these facts before casting their vote at the ballot box, and Young’s team has ensured they are well aware. The Bayh family is a political dynasty in Indiana, and the Young campaign has absolutely dismantled Evan’s positive image.
To add to Bayh’s scandal-laden campaign, Young’s ground game has been far superior to Bayh’s. This will be absolutely key to an Election Day victory for Young.
The Bayh campaign is in absolute turmoil. With almost no momentum going into the final week of the election, I can’t foresee any scenario in which Bayh blows out Young.
There is no question that the race is extremely close. I predict whoever wins will do so by no more than two points.
However, I believe Young will be victorious. The baggage Bayh carries with him is simply too heavy for him to pull this out. With less than a week to go, there is little time to turn things around.
On Monday, a new article from CNN said Bayh had his campaign fundraiser sit in on official meetings with lobbyists, corporate executives and campaign contributors in his Senate office, a severe ethics and campaign finance violation.
Hoosiers deserve better than Bayh, and that’s what they will get on Election Day. Young will serve Hoosiers admirably, just like he served the constituents of the 9th District for the past six years.
staranyi@indiana.edu
@TweetsByAranyi
