Bayh postures for 2008 presidential race

From July to September, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., raised $7.88 million -- twice as much as Indiana's other senator, Richard Lugar -- officially under the guise of his 2010 Senate campaign in the past year, said Bayh's spokeswoman, Meghan Keck. \n"Senator Bayh has traveled across the country primarily to help the Democratic Party and to help elect like-minded candidates running for office," Keck said. \nWhile it is widely speculated that Evan Bayh will run for president in 2008, he has not announced such intentions.\nBut Russell Hanson, an IU professor of political science, said that $7.88 million is a huge amount of money to spend on a Senate race in Indiana, especially a race in which Evan Bayh will likely win because he is the incumbent and has no opponents so far. Hanson said it is unlikely Evan Bayh will spend all of the $7.88 million on his Senate race in 2010 but must defeat his opponent by a large margin in order to maintain his credibility as a politician. \n"He is certainly exploring the run for president," Hanson said.\nHanson also said Evan Bayh will most likely continue to campaign without formally announcing his candidacy because there is no advantage for a candidate to declare himself early in a presidential race.\n"A large field of candidates is expected," Hanson said, listing Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., former Sen. John Edwards, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as potential candidates.\nBirch Bayh -- Evan Bayh's father and a former U.S. senator -- said he supports his son, but could not confirm his future plans.\n"I read in the newspapers that he is considering the presidency, and I think that's a fair assumption," Birch Bayh said. \nBirch Bayh said his son is traveling and he sees him about once a month, usually to watch his grandchildren play sports. \n"I keep hearing his name mentioned, and it's usually about something good. No one would tell me my son's a no-good scallywag," Birch Bayh said. "Obviously, I'm proud of him."\nBirch Bayh said he did not believe his son was posturing politically or changing his politics to better position himself for a run at the presidential nomination. \nMarvin Scott, former Republican U.S. Senate candidate who ran against Bayh in 2004, said Evan Bayh has been unofficially running for president for the past four years and expects him to continue campaigning. \n"If he runs for president, I wish him all the luck in the world, but I don't think he stands a chance," Scott said. \nEvan Bayh has not had enough national attention to be nominated for President, Scott said. He also said that Evan Bayh is a "middle-of-the-roader" who has not taken a strong stance on major issues. \n"He's a wishy-washy politician," Scott said. "He waits until the last minute to vote on important issues."\nScott said although Evan Bayh tries to portray himself as a conservative Democrat, 90 percent of his voting record is the same as Sen. Clinton's, whose voting record Scott considers liberal. Scott also criticized Evan Bayh's vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.\n"Roberts is one of the most brilliant jurists we have," Scott said. \nEvan Bayh's decision was rooted in partisanship because Roberts had all the credentials he needed to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, Scott said. \nScott said that he cannot predict whether Bayh will win Indiana's electoral votes if he runs for president in 2008. \n"After the way I lost to him, all bets are off," Scott said.