Indiana Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dan Coats reports going into the last weeks of the campaign with more than eight times as much in available money as Democrat Brad Ellsworth. Campaign reports released Thursday show Coats had about $1 million on hand heading toward the Nov. 2 election. Ellsworth had about $119,000 at the Oct. 13 report period deadline.

Indiana Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dan Coats reports going into the last weeks of the campaign with more than eight times as much in available money as Democrat Brad Ellsworth. Campaign reports released Thursday show Coats had about $1 million on hand heading toward the Nov. 2 election. Ellsworth had about $119,000 at the Oct. 13 report period deadline.

The mud has not stuck to Dan Coats, who seems ready to regain his U.S. Senate seat.  He also will have indirectly taken out the state's star Democrat, Evan Bayh, and will deal a big setback to Bayh's hand-picked successor, Brad Ellsworth.  It may depend on his margin of loss, but Ellsworth's otherwise bright future in Indiana will be dimmed by this campaign.  Politically, Coats has scored twice on the Democrats, jumping into the Senate race in January and likely contributing to Bayh's decision not to seek a third term.

The mud has not stuck to Dan Coats, who seems ready to regain his U.S. Senate seat.  He also will have indirectly taken out the state's star Democrat, Evan Bayh, and will deal a big setback to Bayh's hand-picked successor, Brad Ellsworth.  It may depend on his margin of loss, but Ellsworth's otherwise bright future in Indiana will be dimmed by this campaign.  Politically, Coats has scored twice on the Democrats, jumping into the Senate race in January and likely contributing to Bayh's decision not to seek a third term.

As Politico reports:

A Medicare official concedes that seniors may have to dig deeper into their wallets next year thanks to the health care law. The new analysis obtained by POLITICO finds the health care overhaul will result in increased out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare Advantage plans. Richard Foster, the actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, also tells Senate Republicans that the overhaul will result in “less generous benefit packages” for Medicare Advantage plans next year. Foster is independent from the administration and non-partisan… Republicans say dramatic changes to the program mean some seniors won’t be able to keep their plans – a promise President Barack Obama made during the reform debate – and the GOP has made the issue part of its attempt to roll back the health law.

In addition to cutting Medicare by $500 billion, reducing benefits and raising costs for seniors, Ellsworth’s costly, unpopular overhaul endangers jobs and could strip more than one million other Americans of their health coverage.

“This non-partisan report confirms that President Obama and Brad Ellsworth’s costly, unpopular health care overhaul will hurt seniors—so why won’t Ellsworth just admit that he was wrong to ram it into law against Hoosiers’ wishes?” asked National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh. “As his health spending bill slams Hoosiers with higher costs and puts their coverage at risk, voters are reminded once again that Ellsworth has consistently put his own reckless, partisan agenda ahead of their best interests in Washington.”

As Politico reports:

A Medicare official concedes that seniors may have to dig deeper into their wallets next year thanks to the health care law. The new analysis obtained by POLITICO finds the health care overhaul will result in increased out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare Advantage plans. Richard Foster, the actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, also tells Senate Republicans that the overhaul will result in “less generous benefit packages” for Medicare Advantage plans next year. Foster is independent from the administration and non-partisan… Republicans say dramatic changes to the program mean some seniors won’t be able to keep their plans – a promise President Barack Obama made during the reform debate – and the GOP has made the issue part of its attempt to roll back the health law.

In addition to cutting Medicare by $500 billion, reducing benefits and raising costs for seniors, Ellsworth’s costly, unpopular overhaul endangers jobs and could strip more than one million other Americans of their health coverage.

“This non-partisan report confirms that President Obama and Brad Ellsworth’s costly, unpopular health care overhaul will hurt seniors—so why won’t Ellsworth just admit that he was wrong to ram it into law against Hoosiers’ wishes?” asked National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh. “As his health spending bill slams Hoosiers with higher costs and puts their coverage at risk, voters are reminded once again that Ellsworth has consistently put his own reckless, partisan agenda ahead of their best interests in Washington.”

The $1 million donation that retiring Sen. Evan Bayh gave state Democrats to help Brad Ellsworth win the seat won't be spent on TV ads. State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker says the party won't run Senate ads for Ellsworth using the approximately $850,000 available to directly help Ellsworth… Ellsworth trails Republican Dan Coats and acknowledges that Coats is outspending him on ads. The GOP says that's a sign of trouble for the Democrat.

Meanwhile, Republican Dan Coats launched a new TV ad, entitled “A Problem,” highlighting Ellsworth’s reckless rubberstamp support for President Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s costly, job-killing policies in Washington.

The $1 million donation that retiring Sen. Evan Bayh gave state Democrats to help Brad Ellsworth win the seat won't be spent on TV ads. State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker says the party won't run Senate ads for Ellsworth using the approximately $850,000 available to directly help Ellsworth… Ellsworth trails Republican Dan Coats and acknowledges that Coats is outspending him on ads. The GOP says that's a sign of trouble for the Democrat.

Meanwhile, Republican Dan Coats launched a new TV ad, entitled “A Problem,” highlighting Ellsworth’s reckless rubberstamp support for President Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s costly, job-killing policies in Washington.

Evan Bayh's endorsement of Brad Ellsworth today could have been, well, a bit more upbeat. Bayh conceded that the race is "maybe a little uphill," noted that national Democrats don't have enough money to go around and made a rather odd comparison. 

Evan Bayh's endorsement of Brad Ellsworth today could have been, well, a bit more upbeat. Bayh conceded that the race is "maybe a little uphill," noted that national Democrats don't have enough money to go around and made a rather odd comparison.