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Family Name, Not Race, Cost Tenn. 'Scion' Election, Guv Says

December 07, 2006 12:49 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: While in Washington, DC for the Democratic Governors Association holiday party, Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-TN) weighed in on Rep. Harold Ford's (D-TN) loss to former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker in this year’s hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Tennessee.

"I never heard anyone say, 'I can’t vote for him because he' black,'" Bredesen told ABC News. "But I did hear people say, 'I can't vote for a Ford right now.'"

The Democratic governor of Tennessee, who made a television commercial on behalf of Ford during the recently completed campaign, predicted that the 36-year old Ford would find eventual statewide success in Tennessee once people began to think of Ford, whom Bredesen referred to as a political "scion," as his own man and not part of a family beset by legal troubles.

Two of Ford's uncles have had to resign their legislative positions because of charges of bribery and fraud. His father was indicted then acquitted on similar charges.

Ford's family was a topic of discussion in October when the Democratic congressman was interviewed by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

When asked about his family's "run-ins with the law," Ford replied, "Well, I love my family and nothing you or my opponent or anybody can say would bring any distance between my family or I. But I'm running for the Senate. And until someone comes up with a recipe for picking family then they should let me run for the Senate."

December 7, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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