As you may know, Harold Ford, Jr.'s brother, Jake, is running for the TN-9 Seat previously held by Harold (and before that, by his father Harold) as an "independent Democrat." After a divisive primary,
Steve Cohen is the Democratic nominee. Cohen's candidacy is controversial in some circles because he is white, and the district is majority-minority.
While most Tennessee politicos have endorsed Cohen (including Memphis Mayor W.W. Herenton and Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton, and Governor Phil Bredesen), Ford Jr. has remained silent, and Ford Sr. has endorsed Jake, claiming, inter alia, that Cohen wants "some sex shops running in downtown Memphis on a Sunday," and that "We're from a Christian city here." (Seriously.)
However, that's not Jake (or Harold's) biggest problem. That, we'll look at on the flip.
Jackson Baker is (without question) the dean of the Memphis political press. Indeed, he's one of the quietly respected people in the national press. In his book "Spanking The Donkey," Matt Taibbi singles out Baker for praise as both a nice guy and solid reporter (one of the few, he says, on the Kerry plane). Baker's scrupulously non-biased, smart, and authentic--indeed, he's one of the few "establishment" white figures who've been on good terms with Harold Ford, Sr., and, indeed (unlike most other columnists in the city), has written favorable things about Jake's candidacy.
As Baker chronicles, Jake Ford has attacked Baker, claiming he lacks the integrity to facilitate debates between the candidates. Jake Ford's also had problems on other fronts, as his youthful criminal record has been the subject of much media attention.
I suspect this'll be an issue raised in the last days of the Senate campaign. What can Harold Ford, Jr. do to prevent this from potentially derailing his momentum?