U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. defended his record Monday, just days after the head of the Republican National Committee said the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate was out of step with Tennessee voters.Ford took issue with RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman's characterization, during a visit to Chattanooga last week that Ford votes 100 percent of the time with the abortion rights group, NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Ford of Memphis voted with the group 60 percent of the time last year and 100 percent of the time the year before, though the group based that year's rating on just one vote, said NARAL spokesman Ted Miller, who characterized Ford has having "a mixed record on choice."
Asked to comment, RNC spokesman Aaron McLear maintained Ford has a more liberal voting record than many Tennesseans when it comes to abortion.
Ford, in a conference call and separate interview, said Mehlman also unfairly portrayed him as opposed to welfare reform.
Ford said he has opposed legislation dealing with welfare that imposed unfunded requirements on state and local governments. Ford was not in Congress in 1996 when lawmakers passed landmark welfare reform legislation, but he said he would have supported the measure had he been there.
Ford said he was not going to "sit back and allow national officials to come into Tennessee and just lie about my record."
Asked which Democrats might show up on the trail on his behalf, Ford named party officials that have done well in Republican-leaning states. Those include Gov. Phil Bredesen and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner.
Ford is running for the seat being vacated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. State Sen. Rosalind Kurita also is running on the Democratic side.
The Republican candidates are former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, former U.S. Reps. Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant and political newcomer Jeff Moder. The primary election is Aug. 3.
Source: The Commercial Appeal
More: Read Congressman Ford's campaign email regarding Ken Melhman's comments here!
