Rep. Baron Hill (D-9th District) is calling friends this morning to inform them that he has decided against a run for U.S. Senate.

Hill considered a challenge to Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-8th District)  for the Democratic nomination to be decided by the state Democratic committee after the May primary.  Two lesser candidates are still in the race. 

Ellsworth and the others hold the first of a series of district meetings in Noblesville this afternoon.

(Update:  Hill has now issued a statement endorsing Ellsworth.)

Congressman Baron Hill (D-9th District) is touting a new designation from Congressional Quarterly.  It lists Hill as one of the top ten most independent Democrats in the House.

It’s nice timing for Hill coming in the same week that he benefited from a fundraiser by Rahm Emanuel that drew criticism from Republicans as a kickback for supporting the Obama agenda.

CQ says Hill voted with the Democratic Party 73% of the time while the average Democrat was at 90% in 2009.

Mike Sodrel did John Hostettler one better.  While Hostettler announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in an impersonal Youtube video, Sodrel just sent out a midnight press release to disclose his plan to run for Congress (again) in the 9th District.

This is a good day for Congressman Baron Hill (D-9th District), who has defeated Sodrel in 3 of the last 4 elections.  Hill now can look forward to a potentially expensive and divisive GOP primary where Republican Todd Young looked to be putting together a strong organization.  That news comes on the same day that Hill is hosting the U.S. Energy Secretary for a jobs announcement.

Sodrel’s announcement comes late in the cycle but he still has name ID and the ability to self-finance.  This should be interesting.

Rep. Baron Hill’s Saturday fundraiser in Bloomington with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is closed to the media and neither Hill (D-9th District) nor Emanuel is available to reporters before or after.   Could it be that Hill is sensitive to Republican attacks of a White House kickback (as one GOP news release called it?)  Would a photo be damaging?

Meantime, Energy Secretary Steven Chu will join Hill and Sen. Evan Bayh for a jobs announcement in Columbus on Monday that is open to the press.  Is that the event that Joe Biden was originally planning to attend? 

Is a photo with Steven Chu less damaging than a photo with Rahm Emanuel?

Congressman Baron Hill (D-9th District) tells the The Repulbic newspaper in Columbus that Vice President Joe Biden is coming to Columbus for an announcement.

No word so far on what he will announce or when.

It’s another sign that Hill has strong White House backing with Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel already coming to raise money for Hill.

Former Vice President Dan Quayle has already campaigned for GOP candidate Todd Young.

-How many of the four Republicans challenging Dan Burton will make it to the May Primary?  I say at least one will drop out.

-How many of the four GOP candidates seeking to take on Democratic Senator Evan Bayh will meet the signature requirement to get on the ballot?  I say it’s unlikely to be more than two.

-How much will Mitch Daniels do for Brian Bosma’s House caucus?  Is he the key factor in the battle for control of the Indiana House?  Or, is it Pat Bauer?

-Can Republican Jackie Walorski give Democrat Joe Donnelly a run for his money in the 2nd Congressional District? 

-Will Republican Mike Sodrel run in the 9th?  If he runs, does it guarantee re-election for Baron Hill?

-Will President Obama make multiple trips to Indiana again?

-Will GOP Congressman Mike Pence make more TV appearances than Peyton Manning?

-Will Tim Durham face criminal charges?

-Will Republican Carl Brizzi run for re-election as Marion County Prosecutor?

-Will Democrat Kathy Davis run for Mayor of Indianapolis?

Lesley Weidenbener has a story in the Louisville Courier Jounal quoting Baron Hill saying he will run for re-election.  Hill (d-9th District) wants to dispel rumors that he is considering retirement. 

(Gen. Wesley Clark is the featured guest at a Hill fundraiser in Indianapolis on Monday.)

Rep. Hill also took pains to dispel a rcent Wall Street Journal story (at least as it applies to him) that he and other Democrats wasted taxpayer money on a trip to Scotland for a NATO conference.  Hill says the only meetings he missed were the result of a need to get back to Congress and vote.

He doesn’t rule out a run for governor in 2012.

The Indiana delegation split along party lines in the Health Care vote with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no.  No big surprise there but the consequences will vary. 

Democrat Brad Ellsworth, for example, got his name attached to an amendment barring the use of taxpayer funds for abortion.  Pro-life forces like it and that means the vote likely won’t hurt Ellsworth, who appeared jubilant on C-Span last night.

Democrat Baron Hill, meantime, issued new releases all the way up to yesterday afternoon sending the message that he was undecided.  His vote will be a campaign issue next year and opponents will tie it to his early support of President Obama in 2008.

Republicans are all banking that the current public mood is on their side.

Baron Hill won’t wait to see how things go in New Albany (see previous post.)   His office just announced a town hall in Bloomington on Wednesday.

Congressman Baron Hill (d-9th District) promised to hold at least one public town hall meeting and now has one on the schedule.  It will be next Monday evening in New Albany.

Holding it in the Louisville media market may reduce the odds of  TV coverage.

Hill’s spokeswoman last week suggested he might have more than one.  I’m guessing he sees how the first one goes before he schedules another.