PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Freshman Congressman Timothy Mahoney is apparently self-destructing from a sexual scandal of his own, after barely defeating long-time incumbent Mark Foley, himself turned out of office after a sex scandal.
The credit union lobby had supported Mahoney with a $5,000 contribution from CUNA for the primary, but backed off after they say he reneged on a promise to sign on to CURIA, the CU Regulatory Improvements Act. "He says its not true, that he never said he’d sign on, but he did," said Aletta Shutes, chief lobbyist for the Florida CU League.
But a recent extramarital affair has severally hurt the Democrat’s own reelection prospects, especially in this is heavily Republican district, according to Shutes. The scandal comes after Foley’s career was ended because of a scandal involving Foley’s communications with male pages in Congress.
On Florida’s other side, the credit union league is supporting freshman Republican Vern Buchanan, who won one of the closest races in the country in 2006 and is facing the same opponent, ex-banker Christine Jennings. "He’s been very supportive of credit unions," Shutes told The Credit Union Journal. "He hasn’t signed on to CURIA yet, but he said he might."
Credit union CEOs in the Orlando area recently raised money and volunteered for Republican Tom Feeney, who is expected to survive a close race, according to Shutes.
CUNA, on behalf of the Florida league, has also made campaign contributions to three Cuban-Americans in the state’s Republican delegation who are threatened by the changing demographics in the state’s Cuban population, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the brothers, Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart.
Republican John Mica, the brother of CUNA President Dan Mica, should be safe for a ninth term, according to Shutes.
