Evan Bayh

Birch Evans Bayh III (commonly known as Evan Bayh) (born December 26, 1955) has served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana since 1999 and was Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Bayh was frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election. However, on December 15, 2006, he announced he would not run for President, and went on to endorse Senator Hillary Clinton.

News reports as of August 22, 2008, declared him to be Barack Obama's choice to run for Vice President.

Record and Political Views

• Abortion: Evan Bayh is a supporter of abortion rights, earning him a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America. However, he has taken some moderate stances on the issue, such as voting to ban partial birth abortions and voting to notify parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.

• Economy: As Governor of Indiana, Bayh governed as a fiscal conservative. He not only signed the largest tax cut in it's state's history, but went eight years with out a single tax increase. He left office with the largest budget surplus in state history. As a Senator however, Bayh's record is more liberal. He voted against permanent repeal of the death tax, and for raising the capital gains tax. In 2007, he earned a D from the National Taxpayers Union.

• Foreign Policy: In 2002, Bayh voted with the majority of the Senate for the "Iraq War Resolution" authorizing President George W. Bush to go to war against Iraq and disarm Saddam Hussein. However, he is now a critic, saying in 2006:

"It is clear to just about everyone but the die-hard neoconservatives within this administration that shifting our focus away from Osama bin Laden to Saddam Hussein was perhaps the biggest strategic blunder in our nation's history. And while we have been preoccupied with Iraq, under this President, North Korea has gone nuclear and Iran is on the verge of doing so."