November 7 Election Guide (Page 1 of 15)

U.S. Senate Race: Harold Ford, Jr.
By Elizabeth Wright
With the retirement of Sen. Bill Frist and the vacancy of his seat in Congress, all eyes are on Democratic candidate Harold Ford, Jr. and the possibility that a Ford triumph on Nov. 7 could lead to the turnover of the Republican-controlled Senate.

Ford, of Memphis, has served as a state representative to the U.S. Congress for four terms, first elected in 1996. Prior to his election to that post, Ford earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1996.

Congressman Ford serves on the the Budget and the Financial Services committees, and is a member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, and the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises. Ford is also a member of the Department of Defense’s Transformation Advisory Group under the U.S. Joint Forces Command, a program that “seeks the coherent integration of military capabilities with other elements of national and allied power. The cornerstone of this program is the development of future concepts for joint war-fighting,” according to its Web site.

Ford’s official campaign Web site lists the following issues of focus: Education, Affordable Health Care, Technology, Securing America’s Energy Future, Balancing the Budget, Making America Competitive Again, Protecting Worker’s Pensions, Earmarking, and Faith.

Repeated phone and email requests for an interview with Ford were unanswered.

The following quotes from Ford regarding his platform are from the Oct. 10 debate in Chattanooga against Republican opponent Bob Corker, previous interviews, and his official campaign Web site. Quotes describing the contents of Congressional bills come from the Congressional Research Service.

Health Care

“We need to let Medicare negotiate directly with drug companies. I’m for tort reform that Corker’s party hasn’t been able to pass in the House and Senate—we need to set reasonable caps and allow physicians to practice medicine.” Ford’s Web site states that he supports universal health care with universal responsibility, requiring adults to accept responsibility for providing health care for themselves and their children by lowering costs for three basic groups of the uninsured: those who are eligible for Medicare but are not enrolled, those who can afford health care but decline, and those who can’t afford health care but don’t qualify for Medicaid.

Rhetoric vs. Record

Ford voted to approve H.R. 6143, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006, to amend title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the program for providing life-saving care for those with HIV/AIDS. The bill had bipartisan support and passed the House, and has been sent to the Senate for a vote.

Ford also voted to approve H.R. 6164, the National Institutes of Health Reform Act of 2006 to amend title IV of the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the authorities of the National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes. The bill passed the House and has been sent to the Senate for a vote. Ford voted to approve the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research that passed both Chambers but was vetoed by President Bush.

War on Terror/Iraq

“There’s a big difference between Corker and I on this issue. I don’t believe we can stay the course [in Iraq] any longer. Six commanders and a general who have returned from combat have called for Secretary Rumsfeld to resign. We don’t need any more ‘stay the course’ rhetoric, we need a new course.”

Ford’s Web site describes that he “voted against the majority of his own party to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act.”

Ford’s Web site describes him as an “Unwavering Supporter of the War on Terror,” someone who “has supported every funding and appropriations bill requested by this Administration to fund the War on Terror,” including “over $5 trillion in funding” for military purposes “since 9/11.”