Sen. Evan Bayh (D) announced today that he has contributed $1M of his campaign cash to help Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) succeed him in the Senate.
"This is a million dollar vote of confidence in Brad Ellsworth and Indiana Democrats," said Bayh. "Though I am leaving the Senate at the end of my term, I am determined to help Brad Ellsworth and the 2010 Democratic ticket with the financial resources they need to run a successful campaign." [...]
"This unprecedented contribution will be put to good use in electing Brad Ellsworth ... and in helping Democrats from the top of the ticket on down," said IN Dem Chair Dan Parker.
Don't get me wrong: I'm quite pleased that Bayh decided to share some of his spoils to help out Indiana Democrats with a tough election cycle. But the reality of the situation is that $1 million will only cover a small amount of the bill that was necessitated for Democrats by Bayh's surprise decision to retire. And it's not like Bayh is hurting for cash now; after cutting this check, Bayh will be left with a whopping $12 million left in his Senate account. He really needs to make a very substantial donation to the DSCC in order to offset a greater share of the costs of defending his open seat.
This is a nice and very welcome first step, but Bayh is still millions of dollars away from getting off the hook, lest he forever be saddled with the title of miser.
