Former Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter, right, listens as his son, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike McWherter, concedes defeat in 2010.NASHVILLE – The youthful son of a well-known Tennessee politician declares for public office and runs headlong into criticism about his inexperience and effort to ride the coattails of his famous father.
Sound familiar?
You may be thinking of Chattanooga Republican Weston Wamp. The 24-year-old son of former U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., recently announced he will try to take the 3rd Congressional District seat his father held for 16 years from incumbent Republican Chuck Fleischmann, 50.
But then again, you could just as easily be talking about Harold Ford Jr.
The Memphis Democrat faced similar questions in 1996 when he announced, at age 26, that he was running to succeed his father, U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr., D-Tenn., in the 9th District.