While the analysts unanimously moved the Mark Foley seat from "Safe Republican" to "Strong Democratic pickup" after his resignation, Republicans aren't ready to give up on the seat just yet. Governor Jeb Bush has already campaigned for substitute GOP candidate State Rep. John Negron, and now the NRCC is buying ads for him. The major problem is that Foley's name remains on the ballot. Although votes for Foley will count for Negron, voters must be educated on that point so they will pull the lever for the GOP. From the Associated Press report:
National Republicans haven't given up on former Rep. Mark Foley's district, recently spending $244,300 for television ads attacking Democratic hopeful Tim Mahoney.
The Democratic newcomer has become a strong contender, partly because Foley's name will remain on the ballot even though his replacement will receive those votes. The replacement, state Rep. Joe Negron, has just under five weeks to campaign.
Read the full report at the link above. This is a solidly Republican district, but the job is a bit like the task in Texas-22 (the DeLay seat, where voters will have to write in the Republican candidate). It does give the Republicans in this district a chance to demonstrate they aren't as stupid as the Democrats in nearby Palm Beach, though.
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Congressional Races, Florida
Comments (1)
If only we had a strong Sen... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Cliff | October 12, 2006 12:42 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
If only we had a strong Senate candidate, it just might work.
Crist is headed for a landslide in the Gov. race, and if we had a more competitive Senate race, it couldn't help but to increase turnout, which could help us pull off the miracle.
Maybe Crist will be enough.
1. Posted by Cliff | October 12, 2006 12:42 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 12, 2006 12:42