With only hours to go before the polls close, former 9th District congressman Harold Ford Jr., now head of the Democratic Leadership Council, has joined in on the mounting chorus of criticism of recent TV ads by Nikki Tinker, who is challenging current incumbent Steve Cohen in today’s Democratic primary.
Ford’s statement is as follows:
“Whenever race, religion or gender is invoked in a political contest, it generally means the candidate has run out of legitimate arguments for why he/she should be elected. Communities and nations are always made weaker when political figures try to divide us for political advantage. It is my strong hope that lessons will be learned.”?
Ford had taken no previous position on the race, though Tinker has often boasted that she once served as campaign chairman for one of the former congressman’s reelection campaigns. Ford’s wife, the former Emily Threlkeld, had contributed the personal maximum of $2300 to the Tinker campaign.