Former Tenn. Rep. Ford Eyes Senate Seat—in NY

Former Democratic Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr is considering a primary run against New York's junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, this year. Ford, who moved to the Big Apple after losing a 2006 Senate bid in Tennessee, will make his decision within the next month and a half after testing the fundraising waters, friends tell the New York Times. But already, many heavy-hitting donors in his adoptive home state are in his corner.

Though Ford would have to play catch-up with Gillibrand, who had $5.5 million in the beginning of October, he is no slouch in the fundraising department. His 2006 campaign amassed around $15 million, and, tellingly, about 20% of those contributions came from New York. Ford is a centrist Democrat, which could resonate with New York voters who have seen Gillibrand, who once represented a conservative district, migrate toward the liberal policies of senior Sen. Chuck Schumer. (More Harold Ford Jr. stories.)