John Mellencamp for Senate?

The ultra-liberal rocker as Evan Bayh's replacement? While some call the idea "inspired," others can't stop laughing

In the scramble to replace Indiana Senator Evan Bayh after his abrupt retirement, a growing number of grassroots Democrats are pushing an unlikely successor: John Mellencamp. Though nearly 1,500 people have joined the "Draft John Mellencamp for Senate" Facebook group, the singer's far-left politics and inexperience make him a longshot, say state political experts. Still, says Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, Democrats need a "populist candidate" to hang onto Republican-leaning Indiana. Could the outspoken liberal rock star actually win a spot in the Senate? (Watch a Fox report about John Mellencamp's rumored Senate run)

What an "inspired" idea: As co-founder of the Farm Aid concerts, says Brent Budowsky in The Hill, Mellencamp is an established "voice for working people and a champion of farmers." He's "one of the great advocates of small-town America," perfectly positioned to promote the sort of "'square deal' for Americans that Teddy Roosevelt once championed."

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