Dan Coats defeats Democrat Brad Ellsworth in Indiana Senate race

Indiana, a state which President Obama flipped from red to blue in his 2008 election victory, became the Republican Party’s first pickup in a U.S. Senate race Tuesday.

At 7 p.m., multiple outlets projected that former Sen. Dan Coats would defeat Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth to claim the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Evan Bayh.

Bayh’s surprise decision not to seek reelection in February jolted the party, still reeling from the shocking defeat of Democrat Martha Coakley in the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s former seat in Massachusetts. Though Ellsworth, a conservative Democrat elected in 2006, was seen as a strong recruit, he could not overcome a shifting political tide and the Coats’ broad name recognition.

Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate in decades to carry Indiana in 2008. He visited the hard-hit city of Elkhart multiple times as he sold his economic recovery plan.

The state features two Republicans considered potential presidential candidates to challenge Obama in 2012: Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican conference, and two-term Gov. Mitch Daniels, a former director of the Office of Management and Budget for President Bush.

Analysts say Republicans are poised to win at least five Senate seats currently held by Democrats. They need a total of 10 to reclaim the majority in the chamber.

Competitive House contests in the state have not been called.

mmemoli@tribune.com

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