Why Harold Ford Jr. Lost the Senate Race

Why Harold Ford Jr . Lost the Senate Race

2006

The Tennessee Senate Campaign between Democrat Harold Ford , Jr . and Republican Bob Corker to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist focused on a wide range of issues , including the War in Iraq , the debate on Social Security , rising healthcare costs across the country , the current problems surrounding immigration and the long-debated of abortion . Beyond these issues that affected the entire electorate not only in the state of Tennessee but throughout the nation , Bob Corker repeatedly , through

ads , interviews and debates tried to make Harold Ford 's family a campaign issue . Ford currently occupies a congressional seat that he won in 1996 after it was held for twenty-two years by his father , Harold Ford , Sr . Trying to keep the election focused on the relevant issues , Ford , Jr . repeatedly reminded Corker that his family was not a part of this election and that the fact that his family had a political history in the state had no bearing on the current issues . Ford , as a centrist Democrat , tried to engage Corker in debates over providing affordable healthcare to all , enacting a balanced budget for the government and becoming energy self-sufficient by 2025

As an African American centrist with a strong faith background raised in Tennessee , Ford was influenced both by his own experiences and by the experiences of his family in the Memphis community . Ford didn 't run for the House seat his father was vacating simply to continue a family tradition . Well-educated , he attended the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania before earning a JD from the University of Michigan Before his first campaign , he worked as a staff aide to the Senate Budget Committee and as a special assistant within the US Department of Commerce . Having worked for the department of commerce and because his family experienced both successes and setbacks within the Memphis community , Ford felt strongly that the government must run on a balanced budget , pointing out that if his constituents in Tennessee found themselves tight on money , they would make do with what they had , not simply spend more that they didn 't . Raised in a strong faith tradition Ford also felt strongly that gay marriage was not consistent with the Christian tradition upon which our country was founded and that the values of pro-family and pro-life were utmost in importance

As a centrist , Harold Ford was supported not just by traditional Democratic special interest groups , but also by those traditionally associated with the more-conservative Republican party . As a supporter of strengthening education in America , Ford was endorsed by the National Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education . Ford was also supported by Professional Firefighters Association of Tennessee and Tennessee State Lodge of the Fraternal of Police , who both believed that Ford would better support their interests in the Senate better than Corker . Americans for Prosperity , a traditionally conservative group , also supported the Ford campaign

Negatives came into play several...