Jake Ford
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Newton Jake Ford (born October 1, 1972) was an Independent candidate in the 2006 race for the US House of Representatives for Tennessee's 9th congressional district against Republican candidate Mark White and Democratic candidate Steve Cohen. He is the younger brother of the 9th's former congressman, Harold Ford, Jr., who gave up his seat to run for the United States Senate.
Jake Ford did not run in the Democratic primary — widely considered to be the real race in the heavily Democratic Memphis-based 9th--because he felt the primary field was too crowded to have a real discussion on the issues. However, he announced shortly after declaring his candidacy that he would serve as a Democrat if he is elected. Ford was considered a wild card in the race given his family's long history in Memphis politics.
On October 12, 2006, Ford held a press conference in Memphis at which he confirmed rumors that he had been arrested in his late teens and early twenties while living in Washington, D.C. The arrests included DUI, marijuana possession, assault on his father, and assault on a former girlfriend.[1]
Harold Ford, Jr. did not endorse either fellow Democratic Party candidate Cohen or his brother in the Ninth District race.[2]
In the November 2006 election, Ford placed second with 22 percent of the vote, well behind Cohen (60 percent) but ahead of White (18 percent). [3]
[edit] External links
- Campaign 2006: Politics are a Family Matter in Tennessee Jackson Baker/Memphis, Time Magazine, September 25, 2006.
- Steve Cohen wins; will face Jake Ford, Mark White in November Hamilah Abdullah, The Commercial Appeal, August 3, 2006.
- Jake Ford's Attacks on Family: Both Physical and Verbal, by Jackson Baker, The Memphis Flyer, October 12, 2006
