Donnelly to enter Indiana Senate race

Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) will announce Monday that he is running for Senate in 2012, a source said Sunday.

Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker confirmed that Donnelly, a third-term congressman from northern Indiana, will look to unseat Sen. Dick Lugar (R), or the eventual Republican nominee, next fall.

{mosads}Donnelly’s decision to enter the race gives Democrats in the Hoosier State and in Washington a top-tier candidate for next fall, especially after a number of other Democratic officials passed on the race.

There had been some thought that Tim Roemer, a former congressman from Indiana who serves currently as ambassador to India, might have entered the race. But indications now suggest that President Obama may name Roemer as his next Commerce secretary instead.

Donnelly’s eventual opponent is far from certain, too. Lugar is a veteran, six-term Republican who’s cruised to re-election in the past, but he faces the toughest challenge of his career this cycle in the Republican primary. Lugar’s a top target for Tea Party activists, who view him as insufficiently conservative, and state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R) has already launched a campaign to challenge Lugar.

Donnelly’s decision to enter the Senate race could also spark an intense competition for his old House seat, a Republican-leaning district long held by Republicans until Donnelly defeated Rep. Chris Chocola (R) — who has gone on to become chairman of the Club for Growth — in the 2006 Democratic wave.