Evan Bayh's Retirement Raises Possibility That Democrats Could Lose Senate

(Feb. 16) -- Democrats weren't exactly looking forward to this fall's midterm elections, but their prospects suddenly grew a lot dimmer after Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh's announcement Monday that he would not seek a third term. He was ahead in the polls and had campaign cash in the bank, but he couldn't get around one obstacle: "I do not love Congress," he said.

Bayh's decision ignited speculation that the Democrats -- who are still smarting over the loss of Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat to a Republican -- could lose their majority in the chamber. Five Democratic incumbents have created open Senate seats by announcing they won't run for re-election. Six Republicans have done the same.

Sources: AP, senate.gov

How will it all shake out? It's anyone's guess. According to an analysis from The Cook Political Report, most of the GOP's open seats are tossups, while at least three of the open Democratic seats seem likely to get picked up by Republicans.

But Bayh's decision raises a bigger question about the country's political future: Is bipartisanship dead? "What we need to do is to come together as a people and solve the problems facing our country," Bayh said today on CBS. "And unfortunately, Washington is just not doing enough of that these days."