
Rising star Ford fights in Tennessee
Memphis Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s bid for the U.S. Senate stands out as one of a handful of races that could allow Democrats to snatch control of the Senate.
That makes it crucial enough, but a Ford victory would carry even more significance, observers say, sending ripples across the South and the country:
• His campaign would offer a blueprint for Democrats trying to win statewide races in the South or other Republican strongholds.
• He would be the first black lawmaker elected to the Senate in one of the 11 Confederate states since Reconstruction.
• He would be only the sixth or seventh black person in U.S. history to serve in the Senate, depending on what happens in the Maryland Senate race.
For Ford, personally, a victory would amplify the brightness of his political star by making him the youngest member of the Senate at 36. And he would join Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as one of the top black elected officials in the country.
The major problem for Ford, who received his law degree in 1996 from the University of Michigan, is that most political analysts think he will lose.
No comments:
Post a Comment