HAMMOND, Ind. -- Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. has dropped his bid to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

McDermott's decision came Saturday on the same day that Rep. Baron Hill dropped his bid for the party nod. Another southern Indiana congressman, Brad Ellsworth, is seeking the nomination.

The Democraic state central committee will select the nominee after the May primary election.

McDermott said he was frustrated with the process for choosing the party's nominee since Sen. Evan Bayh unexpectedly bowed out of the race last month. However, he said he remained a loyal party member and he would support the party's eventual nominee.

Former Sen. Dan Coats, who left office in 1998, is being backed by national Republicans in what is a crowded field in the primary for the GOP nomination.

Other candidates for Bayh's seat include former Rep. John Hostettler -- whom Ellsworth unseated in 2006 -- state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, Don Bates Jr., and Richard Behney.