Monday, October 10, 2005

Junior Has The "Big Mo"

As noted by today's Washington Post, Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is a man on the move who is making serious inroads on the Republican stronghold in Tennessee.

The more Ford travels the state and the more people hear his solutions-oriented approach to things, the more support he gains. This is demonstrated in recent polling and the fact that he came in first among all candidate in third quarter fundraising.

And the experts have been taking notice.

  • Cook Political Report ranks TN US Senate race a "toss-up": TN US Senate race is ranked a "toss-up" by the widely respected Charlie Cook Political Report. 09/15/05
  • Ford’s message plays well among a wide range of voters: “Ford's young, handsome, well-spoken and can get a crowd going. He's carefully positioned himself as a moderate Democrat, skilled at pitching a conservative-leaning message many think could play well among a range of voters… He's also spoken out strongly in support of the military's effort in Iraq, and sided with "Blue Dog" Democrats on reducing the federal deficit.” AP, 06/12/05
  • Moderate record and demonstrated ability to appeal to votes across racial lines: “Ford, who is black, has compiled a moderate record and demonstrated an ability to appeal to votes across racial lines -- the latter of which will be key in a state whose population is less than 17 percent black.” National Journal’s Congress Daily, 08/05/05
  • Conservative on-line publication RedState.org says the Tennessee U.S. Senate seat is “very real risk of Republican loss” , “And thus, a Senate seat that should be safely red has now become an absolute toss-up, with a very real risk of Republican loss.” RedState.org, 08/31/05
  • Right-of-center Democrat able to generate considerable national attention and support: “Ford is a right-of-center Democrat who will generate considerable national attention and support. The American Spectator Online, 07/15/05
  • “Harold Ford Junior, a congressman from Memphis regarded as one of the Democrats' few bright hopes in the South" The Economist, 06/04/05
  • Non-partisan Congressional Quarterly publication points out that Congressman Ford is a “pro-business” centrist who is working to move his party toward the center: “But in his ideas and voting record, Ford is much more clearly revealed to be a centrist. He is one of the few black members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of his party’s most fiscally conservative members, and also the pro-business New Democrat Coalition. He cast himself as a moderate alternative to California’s Nancy Pelosi when he ran for House minority leader in 2002, and has made it clear he would like his Senate campaign to be something of a referendum on pushing the party toward the center.” CQ Weekly, 08/15/05

As I have been saying for months, Congressman Ford is concentrated on finding real solutions to the real problems that face Tennessee and this nation.

Apparently the people like what they are hearing.