In other election news, Republicans have pulled a Tennessee campaign ad widely criticized for being racially divisive. The 30-second television spot features fictional characters satirizing Democratic Representative Harold Ford. Ford, an African American, is running for the Senate seat vacated by Majority Leader Bill Frist. Republican National Committee chair Ken Mehlman announced the withdrawal of the advertisement Thursday. Just days earlier, Mehlman insisted he had no authority take the spot off the air because of campaign finance laws.