INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Democratic Party leaders have selected former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh to be the party’s new U.S. Senate candidate.

The Democratic state committee voted during a private meeting Friday evening to select Bayh to replace former U.S. Rep. Baron Hill as the nominee for the seat now held by Republican Sen. Dan Coats, who’s retiring.

Bayh says he’s “ready to get to work on winning this campaign.”

Little-known perennial candidate Bob Kern of Indianapolis was the only other candidate seeking the Democratic bid.

The 60-year-old Bayh retired from the Senate in 2010, and his entry into the race boosts the chances of Democrats regaining control of the chamber this fall.

Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Todd Young has criticized Bayh for living and working in Washington since leaving the Senate.