Hill not ruling out Senate bid

Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) is back, and he's not backing down.

The congressman returned from an overseas congressional delegation over the weekend. While he was gone, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) retired and Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) became the odds-on favorite to replace him.

But Hill isn't ruling out his own Senate bid.

"I’m open to the idea," Hill told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "It doesn’t mean that I’m going to do it."

Hill said he is going to talk with Bayh and others about potentially running. Besides Ellsworth, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott is also seeking the Democratic nomination from a 32-member state party central committee.

The nominee cannot be picked after the May 4 primary, but party officials are hoping that's just a formality and that they can have the pick all-but-finalized in the coming weeks.