Harold Ford Fears Loss of NY Senate Seat: Ford Says Dems are Scared

Many rumors that former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford might join the race for the U.S. Senate from New York. Ford fears in the end, the seat will go to a Republican. He sums up his angst: Dems are "scared."

Harold Ford

Ford would possibly face billionaire Mort Zuckerman in the primary, who says he is interested. The sitting Senator, Kristen Gillibrand replaced Hillary Clinton in the Senate. "Voters don't know" her, Ford said, and worse, "they can't name one positive outcome from her." Ouch!

From Ford's NYT op-ed:

WHEN it was reported two months ago that I was thinking seriously about running for the United States Senate from New York, Democratic Party insiders started their own campaign to bully me out of the race — just as they had done with Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel and others.

They’re nervous. New Yorkers are clamoring for change. Our political system — so bogged down in partisan fighting — is sapping the morale of New Yorkers and preventing government at every level from fulfilling its duty.

Voting for health care legislation that imposes billions in new taxes on New Yorkers and restricts federal financing for abortions is not good for the people of this state. Voting against critical funds necessary to ensure the survival of the financial services industry — the economic backbone of this state — is not good for the people of New York.

I’ve examined this race in every possible way, and I keep returning to the same fundamental conclusion: If I run, the likely result would be a brutal and highly negative Democratic primary — a primary where the winner emerges weakened and the Republican strengthened.