Ford Defies Obama, Confirms Senate Run

But White House is backing Kirsten Gillibrand
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2010 7:53 AM CST
Updated Jan 12, 2010 9:15 AM CST
Ford Defies Obama, Confirms Senate Run
Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. concedes to Republican Bob Corker in the Senate race November 7, 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee.   (Getty Images)

Harold Ford Jr. is running for Senate in New York, he sort of announced today—but it's without support from the White House. In a column in today’s New York Post titled “Ford: I’m Gearing up for Senate Race,” Ford says he’s “strongly considering,” such a run, before going on to outline the reasons New Yorkers should vote for him. "Some have already questioned whether I should be running," he writes. "Others are falsifying my record in public life. New York deserves a free election."

Ford strikes a defensive tone, asserting that he is pro-choice and labor-friendly, "despite what critics say about me." Among Ford’s critics: Barack Obama. Yesterday Robert Gibbs said the White House was "quite happy with the leadership of Senator Gillibrand," and would support her reelection, hinting that there would be behind-the-scenes moves to block Ford's run. Asked yesterday if he'd run without Obama's support, Ford professed “great respect” for Obama" but said he’d “listen to New Yorkers as I make this decision."
(More Harold Ford Jr. stories.)

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