MARYVILLE, MO. — Harold Ford Jr., the Tennessee man who is considering a run for a U.S. Senate seat in New York, was 1,200 miles from his Manhattan home Wednesday, talking politics to college students.

But it’s not that strange, considering his past: Mr. Ford was known as the “Kindergarten Congressman” at the beginning of his 10-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He earned the moniker after kick-starting his run for Congress by speaking at kindergarten graduations.

Mr. Ford, who appeared on the “Colbert Report” earlier this week, spoke at Northwest Missouri State University, focusing on education, finance and his Democratic party. He’s often seen as an analyst on NBC and MSNBC.

He said Americans are fed up and unemployed, and are looking for a different type of leadership out of Washington. He said that if President Barack Obama and Democrats in the House and Senate “don’t figure out a way to turn this ship around” in the next several months, “they will find themselves in an enormous hole ... this party will pay a deep price at the polls.”

Mr. Ford’s three-tiered approach to getting out of the hole includes getting the “economy and fiscal house in order.” He said government needs to curb its spending and that households can be empowered by tax cuts. Alternative energy needs to be utilized, and the country needs to lessen its dependence on foreign oil, which he said is helping finance the war against the U.S.

Finally, the “centrist” Democrat said he’s a “huge liberal” when it comes to education. He said the nation must find a way to improve K-12 education and that quadrupling teachers’ salaries might help attract the best and brightest to teaching.

During the question-answer session after his presentation, an audience member in the Mary Linn Performing Arts Center asked his opinion on whether Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terror suspects should be tried in New York or elsewhere. Mr. Ford, who said he lives a mile and a half from the courthouse, said the trial should take place in a military tribunal, away from New York City. He said it would cost the state $225 million and compromise the safety of its citizens.

Another question revolved around last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding campaign finance, which would essentially allow corporations to give unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns. Mr. Ford said the decision will drown out underfunded candidates and causes.

“It’s a complete disaster,” he said of the decision. “It’s the worst decision on public government in 50 years.”

Jimmy Myers can be reached at jimmym@npgco.com.

Correction: An article on Page B1 Thursday, titled “Centrist Ford brings message to Maryville,” contained a mistake, due to a reporter’s error. Harold Ford Jr. said he lives a mile and a half from the federal courthouse in New York City.