Ford poised to run for U.S. Senate
Michael Robie
Current Events Editor
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Like a birthing mother the 2006 U.S. Senate race in Tennessee still remains wide open. Despite rumors over the last few weeks in various local and national publications, Ford has not yet officially announced his campaign for the Senate seat to be vacated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in 2006.
Ford, however, has made it clear that he intends to run.
"I do intend to run for the U.S. Senate" the Jackson Sun reported Ford as saying while speaking at NAACP dinner February 26th. Recently insider sources confessed in a recent article in The Hill a confirmation of his intention to run.
As of press time Ford has made no official declaration, however the Nashville Post, The Hill, and the Jackson Sun all either suggested or declared that Ford would make an official announcement very soon.
Leaving the Volunteer State as well as the U.S. in suspense regarding official confirmation of his Senate campaign, Ford remains a both leading contender for the Senate race and a promising new face for the Democratic Party's representatives in the U.S.
Congressman Harold Ford Jr., some say, may very well be what Senator Barack Obama is to Illinois: a fresh face to ease the wounds and heal the pains of the conflict and failures within the Democratic Party.
However, Ford and Obama represent a persistent fractionalization within the Democratic Party that takes a separate road from the body politic represented by liberals and progressives of the Howard Dean camp and those who felt more comfortable with the likes of Senator John Kerry.
"Make no mistake; America is safer without Saddam in power. He was a threat to the region and the world. But the massive failure of intelligence exposes serious weaknesses in America's defenses" Ford wrote last year in an op-ed presented on his web site.
With this, Ford clearly distinguishes himself as a supporter of U.S. efforts in Iraq, setting himself apart from more liberal factions of the Democratic Party.
With much tension in the air, the coming of spring will soon go hand in hand with an official announcement by Ford for his senate race.
With this, many argue, the Democrats may be taking a step in the right direction and may well be on their way to refocusing the party to figure out what they did wrong in 2004.
Harold Ford Jr. is Congressman for the 9th district of Tennessee.