Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Harold Ford Jr. Weighs a Challenge to Gillibrand
nytimes.com ^ | Jan. 5, 2010 | MICHAEL BARBARO

Posted on 01/05/2010 6:56:09 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY

Encouraged by a group of influential New York Democrats, Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is weighing a bid to unseat Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in this fall’s Democratic primary, according to three people who have spoken with him.

Mr. Ford, 39, who moved to New York three years ago, has told friends that he will decide whether to run in the next 45 days. The discussions between Mr. Ford and top Democratic donors reflect the dissatisfaction of some prominent party members with Ms. Gillibrand, who has yet to win over key constituencies, especially in New York City.

About a dozen high-profile Democrats have expressed interest in backing a candidacy by Mr. Ford, including the financier Steven Rattner, who, along with his wife, Maureen White, has been among the country’s most prolific Democratic fund-raisers.

“Maureen and I worked hard for Harold in his last race because we think the world of him,” Mr. Rattner said, referring to Mr. Ford’s run for the Senate in Tennessee in 2006. “He has extraordinary drive and intelligence and will excel at anything that he chooses to do.”

Among those who have encouraged Mr. Ford to consider a run are Merryl H. Tisch, the chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, whose husband, James, is the chief executive of the Loews Corporation, and Richard Plepler, the co-president of HBO, according to people who have spoken with them.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has publicly tangled with Ms. Gillibrand, is open to the possibility of supporting a challenger of Mr. Ford’s stature, according to those familiar with his thinking.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: demprimary; gillibrand; haroldford; ny2010
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

1 posted on 01/05/2010 6:56:12 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Coldwater Creek

ping


2 posted on 01/05/2010 7:00:35 PM PST by pepperdog (As Israel goes, so goes America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

DANGEROUS.

A Christian version of Obama with warmth and personality. He is VERY dangerous.


3 posted on 01/05/2010 7:01:56 PM PST by ZULU (God guts and guns made America great. Non nobis, non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

At least we got the head of the criminal Ford family out of Memphis.
New York can have him.


4 posted on 01/05/2010 7:02:36 PM PST by AlexW (Now in the Philippines . Happy not to be back in the USA for now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

A man with eyes like a hooded snake. Glib, slick, dishonest to the core. Comes from a family that ranges from dishonest to insane. Will do anything for power.


5 posted on 01/05/2010 7:06:21 PM PST by Bahbah (Only dead fish go with the flow)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

Hs ancestors were thieves sold into slavery to get them out of Africa


6 posted on 01/05/2010 7:08:11 PM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . What ever I do is what shall bean the production line than to operate the equipm)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY
What an opportunity for a member of the GOP who can walk upright and and......use a teleprompter to run.
7 posted on 01/05/2010 7:08:36 PM PST by Recon Dad ( USMC SSgt Patrick O - 3rd Afghanistan Deployment - Day 76)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY; AlexW; ZULU
Anyone remember this? The highly touted scion was a shoo-in for the 2006 Tennesee Senate race.

Only problem was, he lost.


8 posted on 01/05/2010 7:10:20 PM PST by Nervous Tick (Stop dissing drunken sailors! At least they spend their OWN money.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

For those of you who don’t remember or didn’t read that far down in the article, this is Harold Ford of “I met Harold Ford at the Playboy party!” fame.

Anyway, a fight in the Dem primary can only be a good thing.


9 posted on 01/05/2010 7:10:30 PM PST by Dan Middleton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

Oh my. Hillary, the Kennedy imports, Mariokart and the Accidental Gov. are not bad enough for our currently rather wretched state. Apparently, we have to import even more RAT politicians from even more states to help send us even further down the toilet?

I did not know that Harold Ford Jr. had moved to our state. I am not sure I really want to know who else has moved here as well (while most of our actual taxpayers like Rush have moved out).


10 posted on 01/05/2010 7:11:09 PM PST by rod1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Clintonfatigued; GailA; wardaddy; cva66snipe; Blood of Tyrants; AuH2ORepublican; BillyBoy; ...

Wow, get a load of this ! Junior Ford to consider running for the NY Senate seat !?!


11 posted on 01/05/2010 7:11:59 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free ThinkerNY

New York seems partial to Southern carpetbaggers.

In Tennessee, against Corker, he seemed reasonable. In New York, I expect we see a full blown Fascist loon.


12 posted on 01/05/2010 7:12:05 PM PST by depressed in 06 (Tea parties today, Lexington tomorrow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AlexW

Memphis could have sent us some decent BBQ instead of multigenerational riff raff.


13 posted on 01/05/2010 7:16:06 PM PST by rod1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: AlexW

NY is the go-to place for Dems who can’t get elected back home.


14 posted on 01/05/2010 7:16:23 PM PST by EDINVA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: depressed in 06

Remember what Bubba Clinton said to Ms. Flowers about our Mario.

With Baby Ford and Baby Cuomo in the same city, Mafia Wars will not be just your average Facebook game.


15 posted on 01/05/2010 7:19:23 PM PST by rod1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: EDINVA

Like that senile Socialist East KY trash Louise Slaughter.


16 posted on 01/05/2010 7:19:37 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: fieldmarshaldj
Kennedy...Clinton...Ford...

Are there ANY residency requirements in New York? WTF?

17 posted on 01/05/2010 7:27:54 PM PST by GOPsterinMA (Never bring a snowball to a gun fight.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: GOPsterinMA
Just get an apartment and voila ! You're good to go. Only thing is that if you just rolled into town, while you can run for office, I don't necessarily think you can vote right away. At least I believe that was the situation when RFK ran in '64.
18 posted on 01/05/2010 7:35:37 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: fieldmarshaldj; neverdem

Is he serious?


19 posted on 01/05/2010 7:38:22 PM PST by Clintonfatigued (Liberal sacred cows make great hamburger)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Clintonfatigued

First I heard of it. Funny thing is, if he votes like he did as Congressman, he’d be to the right of a lot of Eastern Republicans. I doubt he would vote similarly as a NY Senator, especially if the claim that he’ll run to the left of Gillibrand, who is quite leftist already, is to be believed.


20 posted on 01/05/2010 7:48:15 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson