Word: florida
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...Despite his earnest reputation on family values issues, Foley's orientation was an issue that Florida Republicans - whose leadership, including outgoing Governor Jeb Bush, has taken a sharp right turn in this decade - wrestled with nonetheless while Foley considered running for Senate (the party ultimately backed eventual winner Mel Martinez). The e-mail scandal simply would have made it more difficult for Foley to swim on that G.O.P. beach, and would have almost certainly made the next month of re-election campaigning horrific for him. (G.O.P. House Speaker Dennis Hastert today said Foley had done "the right thing" by resigning...
...Foley, who represented Florida's 16th congressional district along what is known as the state's eastern Treasure Coast, wasn't exactly pristine in that regard himself. His camp charges that the e-mail leaks were part of a smear campaign by his congressional opponent, Democrat Tim Mahoney. But Mahoney, whose campaign denies that charge, had recently taken Foley to court for defamation over an attack ad that accused Mahoney of corrupt business practices that left scores of Florida workers unemployed...
...Still, the bigger worry for Florida Republicans now is how to salvage Foley's seat in a year when the G.O.P.'s control of the House was looking increasingly vulnerable. Republican Representative Clay Shaw is in a fight for survival in a district just south of Foley's, and the mere presence of controversial G.O.P. Congresswoman Katherine Harris, who is challenging incumbent Senator Bill Nelson, is expected to galvanize Florida's Democratic voters. Because the state's primary elections are past, Foley's name by law must stay on the ballot...
...Florida statute also dictates that a vote for Foley becomes a vote for whoever gets the G.O.P. nod. A likely replacement for Foley is Joe Negron, a state representative from the same Treasure Coast with a squeaky-clean reputation who has a $1 million campaign chest and key state supporters built up from a bid for state attorney general that he aborted earlier this year. Negron confirmed to TIME late Friday that he is "running" and spent much of Friday afternoon trying to get the party's blessing...
...political experts like MacManus fear this sordid episode could drag Florida voter turnout, already low in midterm election years, to new depths. And Foley's resignation, they predict, will resonate well beyond Florida - and could have a downer effect on young people contemplating careers in politics. "With boomers retiring, we need the new generation to come into politics," says MacManus. "But this is the kind of episode that has a chilling effect especially on younger folks because they identify most with the kinds of things involved - the Internet, the power of bloggers and such." In other words, today's brand...