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In November, Sen. Evan Bayh -- shown with his son Beau -- was re-elected with 62 percent of the vote. -- Associated Press 2004 file photo   Related content Hoosiers split on handling of Iraq war, survey reveals Poll results

WASHINGTON -- Two out of three Hoosiers believe Hoosier Sen. Evan Bayh has the personal qualities needed to be a good president.

And without knowing who the other candidates might be, about half said they are likely to vote for Bayh if he is the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in 2008, according to a new Indianapolis Star/WTHR (Channel 13) poll.

Bayh has said it's too early to talk about whether he will run for president. But he has hired aides, made fundraising changes and taken other steps viewed as laying the groundwork for a possible bid.

Bayh also has gotten favorable attention from political pundits as a possible contender, largely because of his ability to do well in a Republican state like Indiana.

A former two-term governor, Bayh was recently elected to a second Senate term with 62 percent of the vote.

Seventy percent of those surveyed said they approve of the job he's doing. That's nearly as high as the 72 percent approval rating for Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. And it is much higher than the 55 percent job approval Hoosiers gave Gov. Mitch Daniels and President Bush, both Republicans.

In addition, 67 percent said they think Bayh has the personal qualities needed to be a good president, regardless of whether they would vote for him.

But while only 49 percent said they are likely to vote for Bayh for president, political analysts said that's a good number. A third said they would vote for another candidate, and 18 percent weren't sure.

"Even if Evan Bayh runs for president, and even if he wins Indiana, he's not going to carry it with 70 percent of the vote. That's just the nature of partisan politics, particularly in Indiana, where partisanship is pretty important," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. "I think he can make the case that as a Democrat running for president, he can carry his own state."

Many Democrats have said the party needs to be able to compete in the Republican "red" states that dominate the South and many parts of the West and Midwest to recapture the White House.

In the 2004 election, the presence of former Sen. John Edwards, of North Carolina, on the Democratic ticket did not help carry that state.

In 2000, Democratic nominee Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee.

Ann J. Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll, said the fact that 30 percent of the Hoosier Republicans polled said they would likely vote for a presidential ticket headed by Bayh is a promising sign for him.

"That's a meaningful proportion of that group," Selzer said. "If I were handicapping this to say could Bayh carry the state of Indiana, I would say, yes, without too many qualifications."

Barbara McClain, a Lafayette retiree, is among the Republicans polled who support a Bayh presidential bid.

"I like what he stands for and I think he's an honest man," McClain said.

But Republican Lee Perkinson, a retired businessman who lives on the Northeastside, said he's not likely to stray from his party's presidential ticket, even though he doesn't question Bayh's ability or integrity.

"I would not be inclined to vote for him," Perkinson said. "But I thought he was qualified."

At this early stage, political analyst Rothenberg said, the poll numbers for Bayh are most useful as a benchmark to measure how he's doing later.

"That's not a bad starting point for Evan Bayh," Rothenberg said.

Contact Star Washington Bureau reporter Maureen Groppe at (202) 906-8118 or at mgroppe@gns. gannett.com

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