Democrats' choice is on hold

Not so fast.  Mary Beth Schneider reports in the Indianapolis Star this mornning:

Attorneys discover state law won't allow party to pick nominee for Bayh's seat until after primary.

Democrats will have to wait until after the May 4 primary to officially pick their nominee to replace Sen. Evan Bayh.

Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker, who had said he wanted a candidate quickly, said Thursday that "the sooner rather than later has now become later."

Parker had hoped to call a meeting of the Democratic Party's state central committee's 32 voting members as early as next week. But after party attorneys researched state law, they discovered they could not fill the ballot vacancy until after the primary.

Well, won't this fit nicley into Baron Hill's future plans.  The cynic in me says that this was known (by some) all along.  Don't be surprised to see Ellsworth step aside in favor of Hill.  Remember, Baron came up in politics at the feet of Evan Bayh and Lee Hamilton.  I suspect that Hill has been the first choice all along.-SP