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Harold Eugene Ford, Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee, representing the 9th District of that state.
Ford was born in Memphis, Tennessee as the son of Harold Ford, Sr., a Representative in Congress from 1975 to 1997, and Dorothy Ford. He has two brothers, Jake and Isaac Ford.
Ford graduated from St. Albans School for Boys in Washington, D.C. and received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1992 and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996.
In 1992 he was a staff aide to the United States Senate Committee on the Budget and in 1993 he was special assistant to the United States Department of Commerce. He was elected as a Democrat to his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, succeeding his father, and has served in the One Hundred Fifth and succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1997-present).
In 2003, Ford considered running for Mayor of Memphis against the incumbent, W. W. Herenton, a political rival of his family.
Ford is a member of several pro-growth coalitions, including the New Democrat Coalition, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Blue Dog Coalition. After the 2002 elections resulted in Democrats losing Congressional seats, Ford announced his candidacy for House Democratic Leader, challenging then-House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, arguing that current leadership was ineffective, but was soundly defeated. In spite of claims that Ford is a liberal, his voting record is increasingly conservative. He supported the Iraq war, a ban on benefits for homosexual couples, and has told Democrats they should be more supportive of George W. Bush.
Pundits suggested that he might be considered to be the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate in 2004; however, he was ineligible for the office because he would not be 35 years of age by inauguration day (January 20, 2005). He is well-spoken. Mention of a run for President in 2008 is helpful in continuing to raise his profile (he is an eager guest on political talk shows) and if it happens would probably be welcomed as an expression of Democratic diversity and would add a thoughtful black American voice to the debates, as Carol Moseley-Braun did in 2004. Ford appears headed for a long public career and perhaps a larger future role, perhaps in the House leadership or a future Democratic cabinet or possibly the Senate. After such elevation, or at least more time to move into his 40's, a presidential run would have more gravity and a better chance of winning a spot on the ticket.
Ford is currently positioning himself for a run for a seat in the United States Senate in the 2006 election, as incumbent Bill Frist has said that he does not plan to run for a third term.
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