Much to the surprise of many Hoosier politicos, Sen. Evan Bayh has decided NOT to run for Indiana governor in 2012 and recapture the office he held in 1989-1997. The Indy Star has the report:

Bayh’s decision ends, at least for now, an era in Indiana politics. The son of former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, he burst onto the political scene in 1986 when at age 30 he won election as secretary of state before sweeping to victory as governor two years later.

Democrats had hoped he’d resurrect them in 2012, as he did in the 1980s, by running for governor. And, while Bayh had turned his back on a third term in the Senate earlier this year, saying he did “not love Congress,” Democrats were optimistic that a chance to return to a job he had clearly relished would prove irresistible.

“If all I cared about is politics I’d run for governor because I loved being governor, and the prospects were probably favorable” that he’d be elected, Bayh said.

But, he added, “I want my kids to know that they were their parents’ top priority, and more important than ambition. I’ve been privileged to be elected five times. You only have your kids once.”

He said he doesn’t know yet what his next chapter will bring when he ceases to be an elected official Jan. 5, when the man who replaces him, Republican Dan Coats, is sworn in to office.

In the article, state Democrats express disappointment as it likely means they’ll have a very difficult time taking back the office. One also wonders how this will impact Rep. Mike Pence’s gubernatorial considerations.