Ex-top Dem Bauer retains national post

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana House Democrats may have decided it was time for new leadership this past summer but a national campaign committee is keeping Patrick Bauer on board despite his demotion in Indiana.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee re-elected Bauer to its board Thursday. The national group helps Democrats campaign for seats in statehouses across the nation.

Democrats won back some state-level seats in last month's elections, but Indiana's House Republicans grew their ranks further.

Bauer led Indiana's House Democrats for a decade that was capped with a right-to-work battle over the past two years. Democrats removed him as leader in July amid frustration over his management style which lawmakers said diminished the say of other Democrats in the caucus.