Washington (CNN) – There is, apparently, an "I" in Team Harold.
In his 764 word New York Times op-ed outlining his reasons for not running for the U.S. Senate in New York, former Democratic Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. used the word "I" 27 times. He averaged use of the personal pronoun about once every 28 words.
In that context, he uses the word "I" far more than he mentions "New York" (seven times), "New Yorker" (six times), "constituents" (one time) and "voters" (zero) - combined.
For reference, according to the website wordcount.org, the word "I" is the 11th most commonly used word in the English language.
(CNN) - Former Democratic congressman Harold Ford, Jr. has decided to pass on a bid to unseat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York.
Gillibrand was appointed last year by New York Gov. David Paterson to replace Hillary Clinton, who stepped down to become secretary of state. The Democratic establishment has lined up behind Gillibrand, effectively clearing the field of any primary challengers who might have been thinking about taking on the freshman senator.
But Ford recently emerged as a possible challenger to Gillibrand, who previously represented a congressional district in upstate New York.
The Tennessee Democrat, who moved to New York City in 2006 after losing a Senate race against Bob Corker, explained his decision not to mount a primary challenge to Gillibrand in an op-ed published on the New York Times Web site Monday.
FULL POST
(CNN) - As he continues to mull a potential primary bid against New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. defended what appears to be his shift to the left in the four years since he ran for Senate in Tennessee.
In an appearance on Comedy Central's Colbert Report Monday, Ford specifically defended his more liberal language on the issues of abortion rights and same-sex marriage. In his 2006 Tennessee Senate bid, Ford regularly referred to himself as pro-life and said he was an opponent of allowing gays to be married.
But with respect to abortion rights, Ford maintained Monday he has always been "pro-choice" and said he used the term "pro-life" in 2006 to describe his stances on separate issues.
"When I'd walk into forums, I'd look before the audience I'd say let's tell all the people we are really the pro-life ones, we are the ones who support education, and health care, and veterans benefits," he said. "I stand by that."
Washington (CNN) – A day after New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sharply criticized potential Democratic primary challenger, Harold Ford Jr., she hit him again just hours before President Obama's first State of the Union address.
"Looking forward to the #SOTU tonight," Gillibrand wrote on her Twitter account. "If HF [Harold Ford] were here, he would probably be sitting on the Republican side."
Earlier this month, Ford, a former moderate Democratic congressman from Tennessee, announced that he was considering a primary challenge to Gillibrand.
Washington (CNN) - New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand accused potential primary challenger Harold Ford Jr. Tuesday of being beholden to Wall Street interests, a day after he charged that she was following in lock step behind national Democratic leaders.
"I dont (sic) know who Harold Ford thinks I am, but I will not be pushed aside by him and a handful of his big banker buddies," Gillibrand said in a statement released by her campaign that described Ford's party affiliation as (I-Wall Street). "As for his childish name calling, I would not allow that kind of name calling from my 6 year old son and I certainly dont (sic) think it is appropriate for someone who says they want to be a Senator from NY. Fords attacks dont (sic) hurt me, they do hurt the people of New York by distracting us from the real economic challenges that middle class families are facing."
On Monday, Ford sharply criticized Gillibrand in a radio interview on Talk 1300 Radio in Albany. "Understand that you're not elected to the United States Senate to be a parakeet or to take instructions from the Democratic leadership," said Ford, a former Tennessee congressman now living in New York.
Earlier this month, Ford announced that he was considering a primary challenge to Gillibrand, a former congresswoman appointed by Gov. David Paterson to replace Sen. Hillary Clinton. The former first lady turned senator resigned her seat to become President Obama's Secretary of State.
Full text of statement after the jump:
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(CNN) - A second straight poll of New York State voters indicates that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York holds a double digit lead over a potential Democratic challenger.
But the Siena Research Institute survey, released Monday, also indicates that more New Yorkers have an unfavorable view of Gillibrand than have a favorable view.
Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee last week announced he's considering a primary challenge to Gillibrand, a former congresswoman from upstate New York who was was named a year ago to replace Sen. Hillary Clinton, who stepped down from her Senate seat after being confirmed as secretary of state.
Gillibrand is running this year to serve the final two years of Clinton's term. Ford, a former five-term congressman who narrowly lost a 2006 bid for the Senate in Tennessee, now lives in New York.
According the the Siena poll, Gillibrand leads Ford 41 to 17 percent in a hypothetical Democratic party primary match up, with 37 percent undecided. Gillibrand had a 19 point advantage over Ford in a Marist College survey released Friday, with one in three voters undecided.
But some other results in the poll also spells trouble for Gillibrand.
From CNN Politics
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