Bayh To Form Exploratory Committee For Presidential Run

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Evan Bayh announced Sunday on national television that he will form an exploratory committee this week to consider a run for president.

The Hoosier native has long been rumored to be interested in the job, so Sunday's announcement came as no surprise, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

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Bayh Takes Next Step In Presidential Ambition

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Bayh has been laying the groundwork for a presidential run for several years, and has ramped up to the move in a series of appearances outside the state in recent months.

On ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," the Indiana senator said he thinks the U.S. needs new direction.

"(We need) someone who can unite Americans in a politics of common purpose -- Democrats, Independents and Republicans," Bayh said. "If I can be that individual, so be it."

Bayh's presidential ambitions face an admittedly uphill climb, with Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama possibly in the race. Outside of Indiana, Bayh is a virtual unknown.

"When Bill Clinton ran for president, nobody knew who he was at first. When Jimmy Carter ran for president, nobody knew who he was," said Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, a WXNT radio host and 6News political analyst. "So, name recognition, over time things will change. There's a lot of time between now and November 2008."

Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Treacy said he thinks Bayh has a shot because of the position in which he has placed himself.

"He has done an extremely good job of positioning himself well to be a centrist candidate for president," Treacy said.

Treacy said he thinks Bayh has what it takes for the country's top job and is conservative enough to pull in some Republican voters. Bayh said he knows a presidential run will be grueling but said he believes he has time to gain the trust of voters.

"They look into your heart and assess what you're made of," Bayh said. "And as the people get to know me, I think we'll do very well."

Bayh said he will make a final decision over the holidays with his family and will announce whether he will run for president early next year.

Who Is Evan Bayh?

Evan Bayh is no stranger to politics. It has been a part of his life since he was a child growing up in western Indiana, 6News' Jennifer Carmack reported.

He was born Birch Evans Bayh in Shirkieville, near Terre Haute, in 1955. His father, Birch Bayh, was elected to the Senate in 1962 and moved the family to Washington D.C.

Evan followed in his father's political footsteps as a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected as Indiana's secretary of state in 1986. Two years later, Bayh ran for and won the governor's office.

At 33, Bayh was sworn in as the nation's youngest governor in 1989. He garnered a reputation as a moderate and was reelected in 1992 with 80 percent of the vote.

During two terms as governor, Bayh implemented a $1.6 million tax cut, the largest in the state's history, and mandated lethal injection as the only form of execution in the state.

After a year in the private sector, Bayh became a U.S. senator. In 2004, he was reelected to the seat that he currently holds.

Bayh has flirted with the White House in recent years. He was considered a possible running mate for both Al Gore and John Kerry.