President Obama and Chuck Schumer were for Harold Ford Jr. before they were against him.
In 2006, both men — who were senators at the time — heaped praise on Ford Jr., then a Tennessee congressman seeking to join them in Senate.
Politics for the betterment of everyone is “the kind of politics Harold Ford exemplifies, and that’s why I’m here today,” Obama said at an event, according to The Associated Press.
There was more. “You are one great candidate,” Schumer told Ford during the ’06 race, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Schumer spokesman Josh Vlasto, asked to comment, said, “Those were statements made about a candidate for a Tennessee Senate seat in 2006.”
Both Schumer and Obama are firmly behind Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, against whom Ford is weighing a challenge.