Tim Mahoney

Florida's 16th congressional district from 2003 to 2013.

Mahoney ran for Congress in 2006 to represent Florida's 16th congressional district. In the general election, Mahoney faced six-term Republican incumbent Mark Foley. In 2006, 42% of the voters in this district were registered Republicans, and 36% were registered Democrats, with the district having a CPVI of R+2.[10][11][12] George W. Bush won the district with 53% of the vote in the 2000 presidential election, and with 54% of the vote in the 2004 presidential election.[11] One poll taken by Hamilton Beattie on September 12, 2006, had Foley leading Mahoney 48% to 35%.[13]

In the campaign, Mahoney sharply criticized the Bush administration for overspending, general mismanagement, and its policies in Iraq.[14] In August, General Wesley Clark endorsed Mahoney.[15]

On September 28, 2006, ABC News reported that Foley had sent email messages, from his personal AOL account, to a then-16-year-old former congressional page, asking the page to send a photo of himself to Foley, among other things that were overtly sexual in nature.[16] Mahoney called for an investigation into the matter, and Foley resigned the next day.[17] The Republicans' hold on the seat went from "safe" to "shaky" overnight.[18] After spending nearly $400,000 of his own money in the race, Mahoney became the favorite to win the seat, and was endorsed by numerous high-profile Democrats, including Mark Warner of Virginia.[9]

On October 2, 2006, the Florida Republican Party Executive Board selected state Representative Joe Negron as Mahoney's new opponent.[14] However, Negron's name did not appear on the ballot; he only received votes cast for Foley, whose name remained on the ballot by law. On election day, Mahoney narrowly defeated Negron by 1.8 percentage points.[19] While Negron carried most of the more conservative areas of the district near Fort Myers, Mahoney carried the two largest counties in the district, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties, by a combined margin of over 10,000 votes — far more than the actual margin of victory.

Mahoney was the first Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1973 (it was numbered as the 10th district from 1973 to 1983, and as the 12th district from 1983 to 1993).

Mahoney's re-election campaign logo.

Mahoney had been a top target for defeat in 2008, due to the district's Republican voting history.[20] In addition, revelations of his extramarital affair severely hampered his reelection chances.[21] At one point in the race, Mahoney was shown to have a 20 point lead in the polls.[22] In September 2008, a poll showed Mahoney with a 48 to 41 point lead over Republican challenger Tom Rooney, however, the news of his extramarital affair made his reelection effort much more competitive.[23] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a House Ethics Committee investigation concerning the matter.[24] Two days later, CQ Politics changed their forecast on the race from "No Clear Favorite" to "Leans Republican".[25] Mahoney pulled out of attending a debate with his opponent due to the organizers refusing to prohibit television media from covering the event.[21][22] Mahoney raised over $3 million, and spent $2,756,453 on the race.[26] However, in the November election, Mahoney was soundly defeated by former assistant state Attorney General Tom Rooney. Mahoney won only 40 percent of the vote to Rooney's 60 percent — the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent in the 2008 cycle.[27]

Mahoney's freshman congressional portrait.

Mahoney was generally considered to be a moderate Democrat, and he considered himself to be a conservative Democrat.[9] His positions are described below:

• Homeland Security: Supports screening of all cargo containers entering American ports, and increased funding for first responders.
• Immigration: Supports increased border security.
• Seniors: Opposed to Social Security Privatization. Supports reforming Medicare’s Part D Prescription Drug Program.
• Environment: Advocate of preserving Florida Everglades from unregulated development. Supports Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project.
• Insurance: Supports guaranteed disaster insurance for high-risk areas. Advocate of national catastrophic fund on Financial Services Committee.
• Supported the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007.

He was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of Democratic congressmen known for moderate to conservative stances, especially on fiscal issues.[28][29][30]

On September 29, 2008, Mahoney voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.[31]

• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry

After news of his extramarital affair was revealed, Mahoney's wife, Terry Ellen Mahoney, filed for divorce on October 20, 2008, less than a month before Mahoney lost reelection to Congress. The divorce was finalized in 2010, with Mahoney and his wife splitting $2.83 million in assets, and Mahoney keeping their property in the PGA National Resort and Spa, which he used as his residence while in Congress, with his wife keeping their property in Oklahoma.[36]

On September 18, 2008, the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call ran an article questioning Mahoney's residency status.[37] It alleged that Mahoney had registered to vote at "a horse barn" for the purposes of having residency in his congressional district, while his primary residence was actually in another district. The issue came to light after Mahoney missed a rent payment on his Capitol Hill apartment in July 2007. The case itself was dismissed on September 6, 2007. While Mahoney's opponent, Tom Rooney, attempted to make light of the allegations, the attack proved ineffective after Democrats revealed that Rooney himself was registered to vote at a dog track.[38] While members of the House are only required to live in the state they wish to represent, it has become a strong convention that they live in or near the district they represent as well.

On October 13, 2008, ABC News reported that Mahoney had agreed to a $121,000 payment to a former mistress who worked on his staff and was threatening to sue him.[1] Because Mahoney won this seat in 2006 after a sex scandal forced the incumbent to resign, several[39][40] considered it ironic that a sex scandal of his own coming to light a month before the election, especially since he first campaigned against such corruption.[41] Some professional political pundits, such as Charlie Cook, reclassified the race as "Leans" or "Likely Republican."[42][43] The FBI investigated whether Mahoney hired the first mistress and put her on the federal payroll in order for her to keep their affair secret.[44]

Mahoney admitted to having "numerous" affairs, "certainly more than two."[45][46] Mahoney's wife Terry filed for divorce in Palm Beach County court on October 20, 2008.[47][46]

On August 6, 2011, Mahoney was booked into the Palm Beach County jail and charged with a DUI offense after being found asleep in his car by a North Palm Beach police officer.[48][49]