[AuH2ORepublican]

"Does anyone know if we might have a shot at defeating Sen. Bayh in the next election?"

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If nobody runs for the GOP, then no, we won't defeat Bayh. But if David McIntosh runs and runs hard, we can take down that phony "conservative." Only by comparing his record to that of Hillary Clinton or Barbara Boxer is Bayh a conservative. What's his ACU rating, somewhere in the 30s? If McIntosh points to Bayh's record, and takes advantage of the Bush coattails (and perhaps Daniels coattails as well), I think he can win. Remember, nobody thought that young Congressman Quayle could beat Old Man Bayh in 1980, yet he send that entrenched liberal packing thanks in part to the Reagan Landslide.

Does anybody else have an opinion on the odds of McIntosh defeating Bayh next year?

[Pubbie]

Would McCintosh want to run against Bayh?

I suppose he might be able to take down Baby Bayh, given the Bush Bounce, if he runs, but I doubt he's interested.

[68skylark]

Nobody thought that young Congressman Quayle could beat Old Man Bayh in 1980, yet he send that entrenched liberal packing.

That's a great example -- it's a real inspiration to do the same thing again.

[fieldmarshaldj]

One advantage for Bayh is that he's nowhere near as liberal as his father and he likes to have it said in the media that he's not part of the hard-left fringe in Washington. McIntosh is a good man, but barely registered a blip running against Bayh's heir apparent, Frank O'Bannon, in '00. His inability to garner much support for the Governor's race this time demonstrated how weak he is perceived to be. I doubt he'd do much better against Bayh. I'm still angry at Dan Coats for handing the seat over to Bayh on a silver platter. He could've fought for the seat instead of pulling a Paul Trible. Better to have fought a valiant contest and lost then to turn tail and run, and Dan Coats would've been the name we'd be considering to run for Governor. BTW, there is one person who could beat Bayh, or at least give him a tough run, and we all know who that is...