Evan Bayh
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Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 6, 1999 Serving with Richard Lugar |
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Preceded by | Daniel Ray Coats |
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46th Governor of Indiana
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In office January 9, 1989 – January 13, 1997 |
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Lieutenant | Frank O'Bannon |
Preceded by | Robert D. Orr |
Succeeded by | Frank O'Bannon |
Secretary of State of Indiana
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In office January 1987 – January 1989 |
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Governor | Robert D. Orr |
Preceded by | Edwin J. Simcox |
Succeeded by | Joe Hogsett |
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Born | December 26, 1955 Shirkieville, Indiana |
Nationality | United States |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Susan Bayh |
Children | Birch Evans Bayh IV Nicholas Harrison Bayh |
Residence | Indianapolis, Indiana |
Alma mater | Indiana University University of Virginia School of Law |
Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Religion | Episcopalian |
Website | Senator Evan Bayh |
Birch Evans Bayh III (commonly known as Evan Bayh) (pronounced /ˈbaɪ/, like "bye") (born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who has served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana since 1999 and earlier served as Governor of Indiana. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Bayh was born in Shirkieville, Indiana, to Marvella Belle Hern and Birch Bayh, who was a Senator from 1963 to 1981. Bayh attended high school at St. Albans School in Washington, DC, and went on to graduate with honors in business economics and public policy from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 1978, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He has an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in California.
He received his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1981. Bayh clerked for a federal court judge and entered a private law practice in Indianapolis.
He and his wife Susan have twin sons, Birch Evans "Beau" Bayh IV and Nicholas Harrison Bayh, born in 1995. His wife is a director of numerous corporations and was for many years a law professor.[1]
Bayh was elected Secretary of State of Indiana in 1986 and served from 1987 to 1989.
Bayh was first elected Governor of Indiana in 1988, defeating former Kokomo Mayor Steve Daily in the Democratic primary. (Frank O'Bannon's name also appeared on the ballot, but he had previously withdrawn to accept the lieutenant governor nomination.) Bayh defeated Republican John Mutz in the general election. Bayh was re-elected governor in 1992 with the highest percentage of the vote in a statewide election in modern Indiana history. He defeated State Attorney General Linley E. Pearson, a Republican, to win his second term. His administration was considered cautious but successful by Republicans as well as Democrats, creating a large budget surplus and permitting him to cut taxes. "Mr. Bayh's record is one of a genuinely fiscally conservative Democrat," reported the Wall Street Journal in 1992.
Stressing fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, job creation and lean government, Bayh's tenure as governor was highlighted by eight years without raising taxes, the largest single tax cut and largest budget surplus in state history, "welfare-to-work" policies, increasing annual school funding, high academic standards and new college opportunities, the creation of over 350,000 new jobs, the strengthening of law enforcement and improved environmental quality. He signed the 21st Century Scholars Act in 1992, legislation that states that every child in Indiana who is eligible for the free lunch program in a public school, graduates from high school and signs a pledge not to experiment with illegal drugs is entitled to a full tuition scholarship to an Indiana public university of his or her choice. By the end of his second term, Bayh had an approval rating of nearly 80 percent.[2]
Bayh was a vocal supporter of capital punishment.
When his second term as governor ended in 1997, he accepted a lecturing position at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Bloomington.[3]
Bayh was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998 to the seat that was once held by his father. He won with 64% of the vote, the largest ever Democratic victory margin in a U.S. Senate race in Indiana, defeating former Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke. He easily won reelection in 2004 defeating Prof. Marvin Scott, receiving 62% of the vote. He currently serves on five Senate committees: Banking Housing and Urban Affairs, on which he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance; Armed Services; the Select Committee on Intelligence; the Special Committee on Aging; and the Small Business Committee.
Bayh released an autobiography in 2003 entitled From Father to Son: A Private Life in the Public Eye. He describes growing up as the son of Senator Birch Bayh and emphasizes the importance of active, responsible fatherhood.
From 2001 to 2005, Bayh served as Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). He is also a member of the Senate Centrist Coalition and helped establish the New Democrat Coalition. Bayh serves on the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy.
Bayh has voted against confirming United States Attorney General John Ashcroft, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.
Bayh was an early supporter of the Bush administration's policies on Iraq.[4] On October 2, 2002, Bayh joined President George W. Bush and Congressional leaders in a Rose Garden ceremony announcing their agreement on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War, and was thanked by Bush and Senator John McCain for co-sponsoring the resolution.[5]
Senator Bayh began asking for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation in 2004 for his mistakes in the Iraq war. Bayh made it clear that he had lost confidence in Rumsfeld.
He voted yes on reauthorizing the Patriot Act in 2006.
His wife Susan Bayh has been described by the Fort Wayne, Indiana Journal Gazette as a "professional board member" or "professional director", having been a director of fourteen corporations since 1994 and being a director of eight as of 2006. The Journal Gazette reported that since Susan Bayh began her career as a corporate director, “Sen. Evan Bayh [has] cast more than 3,000 votes, including some on issues of keen interest to the pharmaceutical, broadcast, insurance, food-distribution and finance industries",[6] Since 2003, Sen. Bayh has prohibited his staff from having lobbying contacts with his wife or representatives of the companies she directs. Mrs. Bayh makes very few public statements and has not commented on any perceived conflicts of interest. Sen. Bayh, however, has insisted his wife’s ties have had no bearing on his Congressional actions. “The reality is I don’t even know the people who run the vast majority of her companies. I’ve never even spoken to them,” Bayh told the Journal Gazette. “The reality is, we don’t talk about stuff that she’s involved with.”[6]
On December 1, 2006, news sources revealed that Senator Bayh was creating a presidential exploratory committee.[7] Bayh confirmed these reports on December 3.[8] On December 15, 2006, Bayh announced that he would not run for president in 2008.
During the 2008 United States Presidential campaign, Bayh stated that he would accept an offer to be Barack Obama's running mate.[9]
Bayh has a 100% rating by the NARAL[10]. He ultimately voted in favor of banning dilation and extraction abortion procedures in 2003, but he did vote for substitute measures supported by Democrats. His stance on other issues relating to abortion have been mixed also[11]. He voted with mainly Democrats against Laci and Conner's Law, but voted with mainly Republicans in 2006 on legislation to notify parents on abortions performed on minors that involve crossing state lines[11].
Bayh voted for the 2002 Farm Bill that provided financial support accessible to rural communities. The bill provides funds for rural water and waste infrastructure. The Farm Bill also provides technology for rural residents' technical skills.[12] Bayh encouraged farmers to share their input into the 2007 Farm Bill.[13]
Bayh has a mixed but left-leaning record on civil rights, having earned a 60% by the ACLU (2002), and 89% by the HRC (2006), and a 100% by the NAACP (2006). Some of his votes include a 1998 vote where Bayh voted to continue nonquota affirmative action programs. He voted to add sexual orientation under hate crime rules in both 2000 and 2002. In 2001, he voted yes to ease wiretapping restrictions. In 2006, he voted yes on a flag-burning constitutional amendment and no on an amendment to ban same-sex marriage.[11]
As a member of the Small Business Committee, Senator Bayh has made more resources and tools available to Indiana's small businesses. Bayh supports small business in Indiana by co-hosting job fairs throughout the state of Indiana. Several thousand jobs are made available to those who attend.[14][15][16] In 2003, Bayh introduced legislation to further expand Small Business Administration loans to small manufacturers. The legislation was enacted into law in 2004.
At a speech to the Commonwealth Club of California, Bayh said:
As governor, Bayh created the 21st Century Scholars program, which promises at-risk middle school students full tuition scholarships in return for being drug, alcohol and crime-free and maintaining decent grades. Iowa and Wisconsin have both introduced legislation modeling Bayh's program.[18][19] Bayh has worked to increase the college tuition tax deduction, and protect and increase financial aid programs that thousands of students depend on to attend college. In 2000, Senator Bayh authored a bill titled "The Three R's," which was designed to improve the ability of our nation's public schools to meet the needs of each student.[20]
At the 1996 Democratic National Convention Keynote Speech, Bayh said:
On September 11, 2008, Bayh joined the Gang of 20, a bipartisan group designed to promote comprehensive energy reform. During the announcement, Bayh said:
Voted No on prohibiting eminent domain for use as parks or grazing land (Dec 2007).[11]
Voted Yes on including oil and gas smokestacks in mercury regulations (Sep 2005).[11]
Rated 74% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes (Dec 2003).[11]
Voted No on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior (Jan 2001).[11]
Voted No on more funding for forest roads and fish habitat (Sep 1999).[11]
Voted to strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting (Jan 2007).[11]
Bayh introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Emergency Guarantee Act of 2006 to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to assure uninterrupted access to necessary medicines under the Medicare prescription drug program.[23] Senator Bayh is proposing legislation he says could help cut health care insurance premiums by at least 20 percent for small businesses and individuals.[24] To help small businesses provide health care for their employees, Bayh reintroduced legislation in 2005 to provide up to a 50 percent tax credit to small businesses that offer health benefits.
Speaking to 2002 luncheon hosted by AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby group, Bayh "described his lifelong affection for the state of Israel, beginning with a boyhood vacation there, and deepening with his many official visits as a governor and senator."[25] A report of the luncheon continued:
Evan Bayh appeared on CNN's Late Edition in January 2006[26] and referred to the "radical, almost delusional nature of the Iranian regime" and recent comments of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Holocaust is a "myth. [...] To deny history like this, this virulent anti-Semitism, their sponsoring of terrorism, their search for a nuclear weapon – ought to be a wake-up call to every American. Appeasement won't work. [...] We need to use diplomacy, economic sanctions, other means, so we won't have to resort to military action."[26]
Bayh introduced legislation in January 2006 that would impose sanctions on Iran. According to the Washington Post[27]:
On January 20, 2006, Bayh introduced a resolution calling for economic sanctions on Iran, with the goal of deterring Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Such sanctions include:
In 2007, Bayh "supported the Kyl-Lieberman amendment that Obama made a key part of his critique of Clinton."[29][30]
Bayh was an early supporter of the idea of removing Saddam from power for humanitarian reasons.[4] On October 2, 2002, Bayh joined President George W. Bush and Congressional leaders in a Rose Garden ceremony announcing their agreement on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War, and was thanked by Bush and Senator John McCain for co-sponsoring the resolution.[5] Later, in 2006, Bayh criticized the conduct of the Iraq War:
A blog from The Washington Post reported that in February 2006 Bayh was quoted saying: "We've got to be somewhere between 'cut and run' ... and mindlessly staying the course. You've got to have a sensible middle ground."[32]
In a speech entitled "The American Middle Class: Future of the Nation, Future of the Democratic Party," Bayh said:
Bayh is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Select Intelligence Committee and is continually monitoring the progress of national security abroad, as U.S. troops continue operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bayh has emphasized national security as an important issue:
He has criticized the Bush Administration on national security:
At the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Bayh said:
During his time in the Senate, Bayh has led efforts to combat the illegal trade practices of foreign countries, including China. Bayh's bipartisan Stopping Overseas Subsidies (SOS) Act allows the United States to fully enforce its antisubsidy laws and increase the ability of U.S. companies to fight unfair trade. He voted against CAFTA.[36]
Bayh placed a hold on the President's nominee to be the U.S. Trade Representative. After receiving several key commitments from Portman to get tough on China trade, Bayh agreed to release his hold.[37]
Indiana Secretary of State, 1986 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
Democratic | Evan Bayh | 828,494 | 53.3% | |
Republican | Robert Bowen | 704,952 | 45.4% | |
American Party | Linda Paterson | 10,224 | 0.7% | |
Libertarian | Karen Benson | 10,180 | 0.7% |
Democratic Nomination for Governor of Indiana, 1988 | ||||
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Candidate | Votes | Percentage | ||
Evan Bayh | 493,198 | 83.1% | ||
Stephen Daily | 66,242 | 11.2% | ||
Frank O'Bannon | 34,360 | 5.8% |
Governor of Indiana, 1988 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
Democratic | Evan Bayh | 1,138,574 | 53.2% | |
Republican | John Mutz | 1,002,207 | 46.8% |
Governor of Indiana, 1992 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
Democratic | Evan Bayh (incumbent) | 1,382,151 | 62.0% | |
Republican | Linley Pearson | 822,533 | 36.9% | |
New Alliance | Mary Barton | 24,378 | 1.1% |
U.S. Senator of Indiana (Class 3), 1998 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
Democratic | Evan Bayh | 1,012,244 | 63.7% | |
Republican | Paul Helmke | 552,732 | 34.8% | |
Libertarian | Rebecca Sink-Burris | 23,641 | 1.5% |
U.S. Senator of Indiana (Class 3), 2004 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
Democratic | Evan Bayh | 1,488,782 | 61.6% | |
Republican | Marvin Scott | 902,108 | 37.3% | |
Libertarian | Albert Barger | 27,891 | 1.2% |
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Edwin J. Simcox |
Secretary of State of Indiana 1987 – 1989 |
Succeeded by Joe Hogsett |
Preceded by Robert D. Orr |
Governor of Indiana 1989 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Frank O'Bannon |
United States Senate | ||
Preceded by Dan Coats |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Indiana 1999 – present Served alongside: Richard Lugar |
Incumbent |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Wayne Townsend |
Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Indiana 1988, 1992 |
Succeeded by Frank O'Bannon |
Preceded by Barbara Jordan |
Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention 1996 |
Succeeded by Harold Ford, Jr. |
Preceded by Joe Lieberman |
Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council 2001-2005 |
Succeeded by Tom Vilsack |
Order of precedence in the United States of America | ||
Preceded by George Voinovich R-Ohio |
United States Senators by seniority 61st |
Succeeded by Bill Nelson D-Florida |
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Persondata | |
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NAME | Bayh, Evan |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bayh, Birch Evans, III |
SHORT DESCRIPTION | U.S. Senator from Indiana |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 26, 1955 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Shirkieville, Indiana |
DATE OF DEATH | |
PLACE OF DEATH |