Mark Foley

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Mark Adam Foley (born September 8 1954 in Newton, Massachusetts) is an American politician, and has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 16th District of Florida ([map]).

Early years and initial career

When Foley was three years old, his family moved from Massachusetts to Lake Worth, Florida. Foley is a 1973 graduate of Lake Worth High School. Foley continued his education at Palm Beach Junior College, and was a business owner in downtown Lake Worth. Prior to entering the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995, Foley had served as a Lake Worth City official, a member of the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.

Congressional career

Foley is a moderate/liberal Republican. He is a member of Christine Todd Whitman's Its My Party Too, The Republican Main Street Partnership and The Republican Majority For Choice. Foley played a large role in aiding President George W. Bush during the 2000 recount controversy.

In 2003, Foley was widely considered the Republican frontrunner for Bob Graham's Senate seat, especially after Graham had announced his retirement. However, longstanding rumors surfaced that Foley was either gay or bisexual and was in a longterm relationship with another man. Initially published only in the gay press, the New Times broke the story in the mainstream press; other papers, including the New York Press, then addressed the topic. Foley held a press conference to denounce the "revolting" rumors and stated that his sexual orientation was unimportant. A few weeks later, he withdrew his candidacy, saying he wanted to spend time with his ailing father (the seat was later won by Republican Mel Martinez).

In 1996, Foley voted for Defense of Marriage Act, but in 2004 was among a handful of Congressional Republicans who opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment.

In 2006, as Republican division over the candidacy of Katherine Harris grew, Foley's name was mentioned as a contender for the race against Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. But Foley did not file by the May deadline and Harris remained the Republican candidate for Senator.

External links

Florida Congressional Delegation currently serving in the United States Congress
Senators :	Bill Nelson (D), Mel Martinez (R)
Representative(s) :	Jeff Miller (R), Allen Boyd (D), Corrine Brown (D), Ander Crenshaw (R), Ginny Brown-Waite (R), Cliff Stearns (R), John Mica (R), Ric Keller (R), Michael Bilirakis (R), Bill Young (R), Jim Davis (D), Adam Putnam (R), Katherine Harris (R), Connie Mack IV (R), Dave Weldon (R), Mark Foley (R), Kendrick Meek (D), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), Robert Wexler (D), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R), Alcee Hastings (D), Tom Feeney (R), Mario Diaz-Balart (R)
Current Delegation: AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY \| AS DC GU PR VI

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