Opinion: Obama VP Watch: Not today, says Indiana’s Evan Bayh

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Thanks to a tip from Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, we can all probably relax today about Barack Obama’s vice presidential pick coming during his campaign day in the Hoosier State.

In an interview with Mary Beth Schneider of the Indianapolis Star today (hat tip to our Swamp buddy John McCormick), Bayh claimed to have ‘no idea’ what Obama’s VP timeline is and added:

‘I’m absolutely confident there will be no announcement tomorrow. I guess the best way to put it is, if there’s an announcement tomorrow, I’d be as surprised as anybody else.’

Bayh, who was an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton’s during the rugged primary season, will be campaigning with the Illinois freshman Democrat all day Wednesday.

Bayh has figured in the rampant running-mate speculation because choosing him could be an Obama olive branch toward the Clintons; and Indiana, which Obama narrowly lost to Sen. Clinton, is one of those crucial Midwestern states whose electoral votes could tip the general election.

Illinois’ governor is in some scandal trouble, and Ohio’s Gov. Ted Strickland, also a Clinton backer, firmly removed himself from the VP race, leaving another Clinton supporter, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, possibly in the running.

Bayh also told the Star that his wife, two sons and father, former Sen. Birch Bayh, were not campaigning with him. Presumably they’d want to be present for any VP anointing.

-- Andrew Malcolm