Evan Bayh, moderate Democrat, becomes Fox News wonk

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Two Republicans are out at Fox News, and moderate Democrat Evan Bayh is in.

The cable news channel announced Monday that it has hired the former senator from Indiana as a political commentator and analyst in the run-up to the 2012 presidential election.

Bayh, who also served as a two-term governor of Indiana, retired from the U.S. Senate in January. He’ll contribute to Fox News’ various media platforms where his ‘decades of experience in the political arena and his participation in key decisions in Washington will lend a valuable point of view to the entire Fox News lineup,’ Michael Clemente, Fox senior vice president of news editorial, said in a statement.

Fox News recently parted ways with a couple of high-profile politicos -- Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum -- because they’re both exploring presidential runs next year.

Bayh, who was a potential running mate on the Barack Obama ticket in 2008, said, ‘I’m pleased to offer analysis of public policy and politics to the millions of Americans who get their news from Fox.’

Most recently an advisor at private equity firm Apollo Global Management and a partner at McGuireWoods, a law firm, Bayh had built a reputation for working across the aisle.

Fun fact: His office’s softball team while he was in the Senate was named the Bayh Partisans, according to Politico.

-- T.L. Stanley