After Obama secured the nomination , Bayh endorsed the Senator from Illinois and was mentioned as a possible running mate . He was included on the initial shortlist , which was then whittled down to four names : Bayh , Senator Joe Biden of Delaware , Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas . On August 22 , the eve of Obama 's scheduled unveiling of his running mate , NBC News reported that Bayh and Kaine had been informed that they were not chosen . Obama opted instead for Biden . Obama 's campaign manager David Plouffe later wrote in his book '' The Audacity to Win '' , which was published in November 2009 , that Bayh had been a " coin toss " away from becoming Obama 's running mate . Plouffe and David Axelrod had interviewed the finalists and Plouffe said that Bayh 's answers were " substantively close to perfect , if cautiously so . " He recalled that at the time of the interview he thought to himself , " there 's no way this guy will color outside the lines ... Bayh 's up side and down side are probably the closest spread of the three " , compared to Biden , who could " reach higher heights but could cause us real pain . " As Obama approached a decision , he told Plouffe " it 's a coin toss now between Bayh and Biden , but Kaine is still a distinct possibility . " On August 17 , Obama told Axelrod simply , " I 've decided . It 's Biden . " Bayh later appeared at the 2008 Democratic National Convention , delivering a speech in support of the Democratic nominee stating : " The time for change has come and Barack Obama is the change we need "
2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
Evan Bayh 2008 presidential campaign