Sen. Bayh Seeks Edge in Democratic Field

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., right, greets Marc Wallace before speaking at a fund-raising event for local Democratic Party candidates, Thursday, July 6, 2006, in Des Moines, Iowa. Bayh was back in Iowa Thursday, raising funds for legislative candidates and testing waters for a potential presidential run in 2008. The Democrat has now visited Iowa five times in the last 12 months, exceeding most other potential candidates also seeking a foothold in the state that launches the presidential nominating season. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall - AP)

JOHNSTON, Iowa -- In a quiet, methodical style reflecting his Midwestern roots, Sen. Evan Bayh is laying the foundation for a presidential campaign and prompting some Democrats to talk about a candidate with a realistic shot.

"The chatter that you hear is that he's a good guy and nice and he has that honest, Midwestern feel to him, kind of like Harry Truman," said veteran Democratic strategist Dane Strother. "That's all appealing."

In his fifth trip to Iowa in the last year, the centrist Indiana Democrat opened a three-day swing Thursday with a fundraiser in downtown Des Moines for legislative candidates. He mingled easily with about 50 party activists for more than an hour and made a point of chatting with everyone in the room.

"He's a Midwesterner and that will help him in Iowa," said state Senate Democratic leader Michael Gronstal. "It's up to him to sell himself, and so far he's been fairly impressive."

As he makes his way around the state, which launches the primary process with caucuses, Bayh sets aside ample time for private meetings with top Democrats, introductory sessions in which he often trades stories about campaigning for his father, former Sen. Birch Bayh.

The elder Bayh served from 1963-81 and spent time in Iowa in his unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976. The son finds that the campaign war stories are an effective way of building ties, particularly with older Democrats who remember his dad.

While New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton looms as the front-runner for 2008, other Democrats are fighting to distinguish themselves from the pack. Bayh has the distinction of having won statewide election five times in one of the most Republican states in the nation, serving as secretary of state, governor and senator.

"I don't think you can get elected five times in a state that hasn't gone Democratic since 1964 without learning how to campaign," said Anita Dunn, a Democratic media consultant who has signed on with Bayh.

Bayh has assembled a solid team of advisers operating under the auspices of his political action committee, the All America PAC. He's tapped a former Democratic National Committee fundraiser, a onetime pollster for Howard Dean's presidential campaign and a chief of staff to the late Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan.

Dunn was a top adviser to former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley during his 2000 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Bayh has $9.8 million in his campaign account, according to March filings. His All America PAC had $967,453 cash on hand.

Bayh, 50, casts himself as a centrist who can win over independents and moderate Republicans, and his political resume is his base appeal.