The National Republican Senatorial Committee has launched an unusual assault against the Democratic candidate seeking to succeed Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) in the Senate. Frist has signaled he will retire after this session and is expected to run for president.
The Republicans' website, FancyFord.com, paints Ford as a playboy. "Congressman Harold Ford Jr. likes to live the good life... perhaps a little too much. Lavish hotel stays. Fine dining. Couture suits. Parties with Playboy Playmates... all on his campaign contributor's dime."
Advertisement
The site largely speaks for itself. Ford's office, reached by RAW STORY, said they had not issued a statement in response to the site. His press secretary, Rebecca Cutler, was out of the office Friday.
Phil Singer, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, blasted the ad.
“It’s hardly surprising that a week after Congressman Ford challenged the White House on its plan to turn our ports over to a country linked to Al Qaeda that the Republicans are resorting to character assassination," Singer said. "They’re doing the same thing to Republican Peter King who challenged the White House on the ports deal and suddenly found himself kicked off the plane that was going to take him on a Congressional delegation trip to Iraq."
Last month, Ford campaigned with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) in Memphis. If elected, Ford would become the second African American in the Senate.
Republicans say Ford has little chance of winning, noting that the state has two Republican senators and a Republican majority in the state Senate. But Democrats note that Ford, known as the "Prince of Memphis," is broadly popular. The state also has a Democratic governor and a Democratic House assembly.
The Tennessee Democrat hasn't hesitated to vote for conservative measures either: he supported President Bush's cuts in capital gains taxes and backed prayer in public schools. He also voted for a ban on so-called "partial birth abortion."
But he's also been a staunch supporter of affirmative action and voted against President Bush's broader tax cuts.
