Ford Explains His Gay Marriage Shift

As the 2010 U.S. Senate race heats up in New York, former Tennessee congressman Harold Ford Jr. is fielding questions, particularly those concerning his new stances on issues like abortion and gay marriage.

Ford told TheNew York Times Wednesday that his record on gay marriage changed to that of supportive, a change from his two votes to ban same-sex marriage with the Federal Marriage Amendment.

"I did not go from zero to 10," Ford said about his past votes versus his stance now. "I was for civil unions and believed strongly that the flow of benefits and protections that would be provided in a civil union for same-sex couples, the decisions that have to be made, when health hardships are faced, when economic hardships are faced, I wanted all of those protections. I never strayed from them. It was just the issue of marriage, that particularly over the last three years, I have come to understand differently."