NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Ford, Corker Dig In For Final Debate

Ford, Corker Dig In For Final Debate

The race for control of the Senate took center stage at Vanderbilt University's Ingram Hall Saturday night as Harold Ford, Jr. and Bob Corker debated for the final time before the 2006 election.

Republican Bob Corker, Chattanooga's former mayor, and Democrat Harold Ford, Jr., a congressman from West Tennessee, are locked in one of the tightest races in the country going into the last full week before the election.

Candidates responded to questions about the war in Iraq, America's dependency on foreign oil, illegal immigration, the rising costs of health care, and social security reform.

"This week this campaign got off on the wrong terms, hopefully at this venue we can strike a more positive note," Ford said in his opening statement.

TN Senate Debate: Part 1
TN Senate Debate: Part 2
TN Senate Debate: Part 3
TN Senate Debate: Part 4
TN Senate Debate: Part 5
TN Senate Debate: Part 6
TN Senate Debate: Part 7

The evening began with a handshake and a smile on both sides. Both candidates jovial and ready for the debate, but the mood quickly turned.  

Ford criticized Bob Corker supporting President Bush. Corker implied Harold Ford, Jr. was not a true Tennessean due to his years in Washington D.C.

"I've lived a Tennessee life. I grew up here in Tennessee," Corker said.

Democrat Harold Ford, Jr. and Republican Bob Corker were peppered with concerns from voters regarding various issues from health care to the minimum wage and the national budget, but the most heated exchanges between them came when Ford accused Corker of hiring undocumented workers. A claim Corker strongly denied.

Candidates exchanged barbs through the debate, and eventually began to ask each other questions for rebuttal.

At one point, moderator and NewsChannel 5 anchor, Chris Clark, asked the candidates, "If you guys want to change the format and ask each other questions, I'm all for it, but otherwise let's stick to the format."

The debate was presented by the League of Women Voters and the NewsChannel 5 Network.

Questions for the debate were submitted by individual citizens and public interest groups. NewsChannel 5's Chris Clark moderated the debate.