Former Tenn. rep's name bandied about for Trump spot

Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is being considered for a Cabinet post in the Trump administration, the Politico website reported late Tuesday afternoon.

According to Politico, Ford is being considered for Transportation secretary, although other Cabinet posts have not been ruled out. Ford supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential campaign, Politico noted, but is also friends with some of Donald Trump's children.  According to Politico, Trump wants to add some Democrats to his Cabinet. Two sources confirmed to Politico that Ford has yet to meet with the president-elect, but that there have been some preliminary feelers put out about potential Cabinet-level posts via "emissaries." Ford, the website said, did not rule anything out.

“I’m on vacation with my family,” Ford told Politico when asked whether he has had any conversations about a Cabinet position. “I’d appreciate you calling me in the office on Monday.”

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Ford Jr. represented Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District from 1997 through 2007. He left that post to run for the U.S. Senate, a race he lost to current Sen. Bob Corker. Ford has toyed with re-entering politics since then, considering but ultimately abandoning a Senate run in New York in 2010. Ford has worked as a managing director at investment firm Morgan Stanley since 2011. He is also a regular news analyst on MSNBC.

Reached Tuesday afternoon, Harold Ford Sr. — who held the same Congressional seat before his son won election to it — said he'd heard nothing about such an appointment.

"You mean the Trump Administration? I better get off the phone. I haven’t heard anything like that at all," he said. "I’m traveling right now, getting ready to get on an airplane for the holiday."

Memphians close to Ford had differing reactions to the news.

"It just made my jaw drop," said Gayle Rose, a longtime Ford supporter. "He’s a Republican and Harold Jr. is a longtime Democrat supporting Hillary Clinton. So it surprised me."

Cato Johnson, however, had heard rumblings over the past couple of weeks.

"I had heard through various sources and contacts over the last couple of weeks. Not about any specific Cabinet appointments, but there was always a possibility," said Johnson, a senior vice president for Methodist Healthcare. "The reason it didn’t shock me is I know that our former congressmen is well thought of in both Washington and New York. He knows all the players in both cities."

Steve Cohen, the current holder of Ford's former Congressional seat, said Ford "would be a perfect fit for Trump."

"I think that would be good for Memphis and Harold Jr., too," Cohen added. "It would do nothing but help get road dollars for Memphis as a distribution city. It’s just a winner for Memphis, for FedEx, for the total transportation system. And I think (he) wants to get back into government, so that’s good for him."

Johnson took a pragmatic approach to the possibility of Ford serving in a Trump Administration.

"I think, one, the administration needs to have great diversity. Two, having someone who is from Tennessee, having someone who is familiar with the Ninth Congressional District and Memphis, would be a plus not only for the city but for the state."

But when asked if he thought Ford would accept such a post, Johnson was circumspect. After all, moving from a high-paying job in the private sector to a relatively low-paying government job, when Ford and his wife Emily still have a young family, may not be an easy decision.

"I don’t know. I know he enjoys what he’s doing. His kids are still young, he enjoys his family. Having known people who have been in previous administrations, it is a very daunting task," Johnson said. "I think he would have to weigh whether or not he (can) spend that kind of time and leave the private sector."

Contributing: Joey Garrison, The Commercial Appeal. Follow Jody Callahan on Twitter: @jodyacallahan