Ford is a weasel, and probably one of the most ambitious politicians in America today. At the ripe young age of 34 he ran for House Minority Leader against the eventual winner Nancy Pelosi, a move that did not endear him to the dem leadership. If I had to guess I'd say Ford is not well liked by his fellow dems, and not well respected by the Repubs. All in all I think it will be a big uphill fight for him to win Frist's senate seat next year.
Ford does tend to vote fairly conservative or what one would perceive as a true Dem voter. He's by no means a hardline socialist or fringe communist as many in the Dem party have become.
He'll carry urban areas in the state and that's it. He'll go down and then appear on FOX News as a host.