Minnesota veterinarian runs for U.S. Senate

MINNEAPOLIS — Dr. Ford W. Bell seeks election to the U.S. Senate in November 2006, vying to become the nation's third veterinarian on Capitol Hill.

Should he win Minnesota's democratic bid and the election, Bell, 56, will join veterinarian Sens. Wayne Allard of Colorado, and John Ensign of Nevada.

Bell, of Wayzata, Minn., is one of four contenders for the Democratic Party's nomination. Despite a largely Republican profession, the board-certified veterinary oncologist enjoys overwhelming support from colleagues, he says. His DVM status also is "very well received" by the public, he adds.

"In veterinary medicine, profession trumps politics. Veterinarians want to see veterinarians elected," Bell says in an interview with DVM Newsmagazine. "This is the absolutely best profession to run for office. Veterinarians rank very high in people's esteem."

Bell's platform includes ending cuts for programs benefitting the poor, promoting affordable healthcare and pulling out of the war in Iraq.

"I'm opposed to the president's plans for Social Security," he says. "I think the war in Iraq was a mistake. We've spent more than $300 billion so far, and what we've created is a testing ground for terrorists. We've created a very unstable situation."

Bell describes himself as a lifelong Democrat and devout Christian. An adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota's (UM) veterinary college, he also is president Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, one of the nation's largest cardiologic research centers. Bell, the grandson of General Mills founder James Ford Bell and son of Ford Bell, founder of the Red Owl grocery chain, earned his DVM degree from UM in 1982.