Sister wins special election to succeed John Ford

MEMPHIS — The sister of John Ford won a special election Thursday to succeed the former state senator, who resigned in May after his indictment on federal bribery and extortion charges.

But Ophelia Ford’s razor-thin margin of victory — 12 votes — prompted her opponent to immediately say he will challenge the count.

“The race is not over,” Republican John Roland said.

Unofficial results gave Ford, a Democrat, 4,332 votes to 4,320 for Roland. The district includes much of heavily Democratic inner-city Memphis as well as a suburban area north of the city.

John Ford held the Senate seat for 31 years with little opposition until his resignation following his indictment in connection with a statewide corruption probe.

The victory by Ophelia Ford, 55, showed the family name can still draw votes despite her brother’s troubles.

John Ford, the uncle of Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., was first elected in 1974, the same year brother Harold Ford Sr. became Tennessee’s first black member of Congress.

Harold Ford Sr. retired in 1996, handing over the U.S. House seat to his oldest son, Harold Jr., who is now a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

The 44-year-old Roland, who owns a convenience store in small town north of Memphis, is active in the local Republican Party but was in his first race as a candidate.