Earlier in the week, Hardball with Chris Matthews had Robert M. Stein, who is the Dean of Social Sciences and a Professor of Political Science at Rice University, on the show analyzing some of the 2006 races.When the 2006 Tennessee Senate race came up, Stein agreed with a growing mass of political experts and voters in saying that Harold Ford Jr. can win the race:
MATTHEWS: OK, let me ask you about Tennessee. We`ve got Harold Ford, a longtime Congressman, son of a Congressman, very well known in national media circles, very attractive, right, running in Tennessee. Can he win the general?
STEIN: That`s a tough one. That`s an African-American running against -- well, we don`t know who that -- the first seat is an open seat if he should run for the presidency as said so.
It`s not clear that that`s an easy seat, but nonetheless, that`s a border state, that`s Al Gore`s state. It`s a state that should have stayed in the Democratic column. I`d say that is clearly a toss up. Charlie Cook lists it as a toss up. I`d say a lot depends on who the Republican nominee is.
MATTHEWS: If they pick somebody far right, it will help Ford.
STEIN: Absolutely. You have got some big cities, you have a big African-American vote, and most importantly, you`ve got an east and a west divide. And the Democrat can sneak in there but, again, it`s going to be the right Democrat and Ford clearly could be the right Democrat, depending on who he`s running against.
