Foley, Eggleston Vying for District They Don’t Live In

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach, and Democratic challenger Ken Eggleston have at least one thing in common: Neither one lives in the newly redrawn Congressional District 16.

Foley, who has represented District 16 since 1995, was carved out of it by the redistricting plan approved by Florida legislators last month. Foley’s West Palm Beach residence is now represented in Congress by U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar. In fact, Foley lives closer to the new districts of U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, and Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, than to his own district.

Eggleston lives in The Acreage. He’s now in Shaw’s district.

Legally, none of it matters since members of Congress are not required to live in the districts they represent.

Even so, Foley says, “I do take quite a bit of pride in being able to vote for myself.” He’s planning to move.

Both the Foley and Eggleston campaigns say they’re pleased with the new district, assuming it withstands the inevitable legal challenges to Florida’s overall congressional map.

Foley’s reasons for cheer are obvious. His old district voted for Democrat Al Gore over Republican George W. Bush in 2000 by a 50.3 percent to 47.4 percent margin. The new district voted for Bush over Gore, 51.8 percent to 45.9 percent. The old district went 52.6 percent for Democrat Bill Nelson in the 2000 U.S. Senate race, while the new one voted 52.2 percent for Republican Senate loser Bill McCollum.

The Eggleston camp’s reaction?

“We’re not at all displeased,” says consultant Linda Hennessee. Considering Republicans drew the lines, she says things could have been lots worse. Less than 15 percent of the district’s voters now live in Palm Beach County (down from about 45 percent), with the remainder in seven other counties around Lake Okeechobee. With Eggleston campaigning as a conservative Democrat, Hennessee says, “We believe that Ken is going to be extremely more competitive in the rural counties – the home of Yellow Dog Democrats that in past years have been voting Republican.”

Though she announced in February that she was challenging Shaw for Congress, Democrat Carol Roberts’ reelection campaign for her county commission seat was still officially active last week.

Roberts scoffed at rumors she was keeping her options open in case the congressional race went sour. She said she was waiting until the end of the first quarter to shut down her commission campaign, and the paperwork should be in the elections office soon.

Since announcing for Congress, Roberts has been a busy fund-raiser.

“I’ve got more than $160,000 cash on hand. If there’s anybody (saying) that I’m not serious, you can print that,” Roberts said last week.

Former Boynton Beach Mayor Gene Moore says he’s giving serious thought to launching a Republican primary challenge against County Commissioner and local GOP Chairwoman Mary McCarty. The 73-year-old Moore, who was mayor from 1989 to 1991, last appeared on a ballot two years ago, when he got 36.2 percent in a failed city commission comeback bid.

Democrats, meanwhile, appear to have avoided a primary in McCarty’s District 4. Democrat Kevin Rader dropped out of the commission race last week and filed for the school board, leaving only former Democratic Party Executive Director Cathy Dubin in the race.

The upcoming issue of Campaigns and Elections magazine labels county GOP Executive Director Danielle Morris as one of about 50 political “rising stars” across the United States. The magazine bequeaths the “rising star” honors every two years to up-and-coming behind-the-scenes political players. James Carville, Mary Matalin and George Stephanopoulos are among past designees.

Morris, 28, was hired by the county GOP last year after doing grass-roots organizing in Washington for conservative group Citizens for a Sound Economy. She’s so committed to politics that she scheduled her wedding for February 2003 so it wouldn’t interfere with this fall’s elections.