Profile of Harold Ford, Jr., New DLC Chair

Ford, a 5-term Congressman from 1996 to 2006, was Tennessee's 2006 Democratic nominee, a race he narrowly lost amidst charges that his opponent ran a racist-tinged campaign.

In January 2006, Ford was named Chair of the influential Democratic Leadership Council, the conservative Democratic think tank that supported Bill Clinton's drive for the White House.

Ford's a young, articulate African-American born to a wealthy, scandal-plagued family. He brashly opposed Nancy Pelosi in 2002 for House Minority Leader, and delivered the keynote address at the 2000 Democratic Convention.

Tennessee's Senate race pitted Ford against moderate Republican Bob Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga. With a state population of only 16% African-Americans, Ford had difficulty winning over conservative, rural voters in red-state Tennessee. The race was close, despite Republican TV ads with thinly veiled racist references.

In his favor, Ford was strongly supported by charismatic fellow southerner Bill Clinton, who has campaigned for him, as did Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Ford's Congressional voting on the issues reflected independent centrist thinking. He supports embryonic stem cell research, voted against the Patriot Act, strongly supports public health and education, and has a solid environmental record.

An early, now tepid, Iraq War supporter, he opposes NSA warrantless spying. He also opposes gay marriage, is pro-life, and voted to allow school prayer and public display of the 10 Commandments.

Ford's first Congressional stint was at age 22 as staff aide in 1992 to the Senate Budget Committee, followed by a 1993 gig as special assistant at the Department of Commerce. Ford, Jr, was elected to the House in 1996, just months after law school, to fill the seat vacated by his retiring father. He sat for the bar exam in 1998, and failed to pass.

• House Budget Committee
• House Committee on Financial Services
• House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
• House Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance & Gov't Sponsored Enterprises
• The Blue Dog Coalition (fiscally moderate Democrats)
• Congressional Black Caucus
• Democratic Leadership Council (centrist Democrats)
• Transformation Advisory Group (bipartisan advisors from industry, academia, and government to the US military Joint forces Command)

Birth - May 11, 1970 in Memphis, Tennessee, the eldest of 4 sons born to Rep. Harold Ford, Sr. and Dorothy Ford.

Education - St. Albans School for Boys, Washington, D.C.; B.A. in American History, University of Pennsylvania, 1992; J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 1996.

Family - Single, never married

Faith - Baptist

For generations, the Ford family has been prominent in Memphis society and wealthy leaders of the funeral industry in Memphis' black community.

Ambitious and stubborn, Ford has been accused of elitist attitudes that may stem from his privileged upbringing and movie-star looks. In October 2007, Ford announced his engagement to Emily Threlkeld, a business manager for fashion designer Carolina Herrera. Ford led a colorful bachelor life, often finding his name in the New York gossip columns.

Harold Ford, Sr., one of 15 children of an Irish mother and part Native American father, joined the family's prosperous mortuary business before politics. After 4 years in state politics, Ford won 10 terms to the House, before stepping aside for Harold Jr. Often accused of corruption, Ford was tried and acquitted in 1990 on bank fraud charges. He spends his retirement years at homes in The Hamptons and Miami.

Harold Ford, Jr. hails from an enormous, colorful family, including 91 first cousins. Seven Fords have held political office, 3 who were indicted of federal charges. One, Uncle Emmitt, was convicted in 1981 on insurance fraud. Uncle John, the most notorious Ford with 3 ex-wives, 12 children, loads of messy entanglements and a penchant for speeding while toting a gun, awaits trial on bribery charges.

"He is, in the tradition of Southern pols ranging from Huey Long to Bill Clinton, a preternaturally gifted campaigner. Young, single, handsome in a way that pols almost never are (he is the only elected official I've ever seen who could have a successful career as a model), blessed with a perfect ear for both political argument and the exigencies of local politics, Ford is a sight to behold."
-- Washington Post op-ed columnist Harold Meyerson, on August 23, 2006

"Listen to Ford talk, and he is the very measure of a modern Southern Democrat. His voting record, however, tells a slightly different tale. Ford is among the most liberal members of the Tennessee delegation, with a lifetime rating of 20 (on a scale of 0 to 100, 100 being arch-conservative) from the American Conservative Union. The ratings index for that group’s liberal counterpart, the Americans for Democratic Action, reflects the same thing, just in reverse... "
-- Metro Pulse, a Knoxville newspaper, on June 3, 2004

"He's one of a coming breed of post-Civil Rights Era black politicians. He is a black candidate acceptable, and even attractive, to a lot of whites... Ford can 'be black' without having to lay the race card. He doesn't automatically cause white liberal guilt meters to twitch with his merest utterances."
-- Blogcritics.org, on February 21, 2005

"... progressive blacks, including the 18 members of the Congressional Black Caucus that belong to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, are loathe to confront treason in the ranks, and thus allow malefactors like Harold Ford to work their show for the rich white corporate folks, without political penalty. Ford’s constituents in Memphis don’t even know that he’s stabbing them in the back. "
-- The Black Commentator, on January 6, 2005