Under intense pressure from Democratic Party officials, Harold E. Ford Jr., the former Tennessee congressman, has decided not to challenge Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand in the primary this fall, according to two people told of his plans.
He has told friends that, while he is convinced he could prevail against Ms. Gillibrand, he feared the winner of the primary would have little money and remain highly vulnerable to a well-financed Republican challenger at a time when the Democratic party controls the Senate by a slim majority.
Ford was coming under increasing pressure from the Democratic establishment not to run, and looks to have finally seen the futility of a run. While he initially seemed emboldened by the pressure, polls never showed him making a big dent against Gillibrand. After his terrible rollout (only Dan Coats can really compete for that title in this cycle) -- coming off as an entitled and rather out-of-touch elite in interview after interview -- he seems to have eventually realized it was better to save his powder and hope for a do-over some day.
