Harold Ford Officially Enters ’06 Senate Race
Harold Ford Officially Enters ’06 Senate Race (AP)
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. filed the federal paperwork Wednesday to become the second Democratic candidate in the 2006 U.S. Senate race. “It’s the first step in this process of presenting my case to represent the people of the state of Tennessee,” Ford told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Washington. “The biggest issues that the country will face will be heard and decided in the U.S. Senate,” he said, naming energy reform, national security and education as his top issues.
The five-term Democratic congressman from Memphis has told voters for months that he was planning to run but hadn’t said when he would officially enter the race.
The seat is currently held by Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has said he doesn’t plan to seek a third term.
Ford will be a formidable candidate–especially in an open seat.
Ford defended preferences by saying he was admitted to UT on AA eventhough his father was a US Rep at the time.
As a Tennessean it is great to have a man like Harold Ford Jr. on the ballot for US Senate. With his common sense and practicality he will bring an issues-oriented approach to representing the interests of Tennessee’s citizens weather they be democrat or republican. He has long been known for his bipartisan support as shown from the fact he received an average of 80 percent of votes cast during his five elections to the US House. As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats, Ford has strived to promote positions that bridge the gap between ideological extremes.
Leadership like that and Congressman Ford’s burning desire to equally serve all of Tennessee’s citizens by making Tennessee and America better places to live and raise a family can only mean good things are coming into view just over the horizon in November 2006.