"I took some needed time this week to thoughtfully reflect upon what had transpired," Hill said in a statement. " I would like to thank all those whose honest input I sought, including members of the Indiana Democratic Party's Central Committee and folks from the Ninth District."
Hill also offered support for Ellsworth, who faces a couple of little-known Democrats in his quest to become the party's nominee. The state party's central committee will ultimately pick their candidate after the state's May 4 primary.
"I believe my friend and colleague, Congressman Brad Ellsworth, is the right man to fulfill the task of ensuring a Democrat is elected to succeed Senator Bayh," Hill said.
Hill, like the rest of us, was totally blindsided by Evan Bayh's retirement decision, but suffered one crucial disadvantage over Brad Ellsworth: he was in Afghanistan and incommunicado for security reasons at the time of Bayh's announcement. For many strategists, that was probably just as well -- they both preferred Ellsworth as a candidate, and his open seat would be slightly easier to defend over Hill's. Still, Hill seemed upset that he had been passed over so quickly, which probably inspired his brief exploration of the race. And now we return to our regularly scheduled program.
