U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker said remarks made Saturday by Congressman Harold Ford Jr. on religion are “divisive, offensive, inappropriate and just plan wrong.”
Corker said Ford’s comment "'that only Democrats love the Lord, not Republicans,' is an affront to all people of faith, not just Republicans, and I call on him to apologize.
“I believe it is divisive, offensive, inappropriate and wrong for Congressman Ford to state flatly that only Democrats love the Lord. Congressman Ford’s ill-considered comment is an affront to all people of faith, not just Republicans, and he should apologize.”
The Corker campaign said Ford was at a Democratic gathering in Paris when he said:
“My friend Lincoln Davis who chairs our campaign says there are, there’s one big difference between us and misfortunate Republicans when it comes to our faith: he said that Republicans fear the Lord; he said Democrats fear AND love the Lord (applause)…"
Corker said, “Like so many Tennesseans, my faith has shaped me and my love of God drives me to serve. For anyone to question my faith and the faith of so many across this state has absolutely no place in this campaign.”
Corker campaign Chairman Tom Ingram said, "The fact Ford claims he is quoting his campaign chairman, U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, can be no excuse, because restating such an inflammatory statement is tantamount to making the comment yourself. In fact, if Congressman Davis did say this he should also apologize.
“If Lincoln Davis did make this comment, as Congressman Ford claims, it is unlikely he wanted his candidate for the U.S. Senate to now include it in his campaign stump speech. I also hope that as an excuse for making these blatantly divisive comments, Congressman Ford does not try to say he was only quoting someone else – because that would represent the kind of disingenuous word games Harold has employed one too many times in this campaign.”