The Democratic State Central Committee followed through with its plan to run Rep. Brad Ellsworth against ex-Sen. Dan Coats (R) for the open Senate seat.

Saturday’s secret-ballot nomination vote was made necessary by the late-in-the-process decision by sitting Sen. Evan Bayh (D) to retire rather than run this year.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) focused on the process in a post-nomination news release. “Ellsworth was hand-picked by his Democrat Party bosses because they know that they can count on him to rubberstamp President Obama and Harry Reid’s deeply unpopular agenda in Washington,” Cornyn said. “In contrast, Dan Coats was chosen by Hoosier voters because he is a proven leader who will fight for much-needed checks-and-balances in the U.S. Senate.”

Before the party put Ellsworth on the ballot, Coats issued a statement calling Ellsworth “an enabler of the leftist Obama agenda that Hoosiers don’t agree with.”

Democrats have been trying to put Coats on the defensive with reminders that he is trying to do a full cycle in Washington’s revolving door, from Senator to lobbyist and back again.

“While Washington lobbyist Dan Coats will do even more to protect big banks and corporate interests, former Sheriff Brad Ellsworth is focused on holding Wall Street accountable and creating new Indiana jobs,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (N.J.) said.