Brad Ellsworth SENATE Run: Indiana Congressman To Run For Bayh's Seat

Count Ellsworth in.

Indiana Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth has decided to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Evan Bayh, according to reports.

Political observers note that Ellsworth could be at a disadvantage due to a lack of name-recognition. It was a problem Bayh never faced.

The Bayh family legacy has been dominant in Indiana politics. Evan Bayh's father, Birch, was an influential Indiana Senator for 18 years, from 1963 and 1981. GOP Senate hopeful, former Sen. Dan Coats, could benefit from Ellsworth's relative anonymity.

Because other potential Democrats failed to secure the required signatures to qualify for the upcoming primary ballot, the job of selecting a candidate is passed to the 32-member Democratic state central committee, a decision they won't make until after May 4, the original scheduled date of the primary.

If nobody else chooses to put their name in for Senate consideration, the state committee's decision will be easy. Democratic Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) has, however, expressed some interest in a Senate run.