Sexual orientation a private matter, U.S. Rep. Foley says
In a news conference to answer a rumor, the U.S. Senate hopeful says: "I'm not going to be dragged into the gutter . . ."
By ADAM C. SMITH
Published May 23, 2003
With rumors spreading about U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's sexual orientation, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate summoned reporters Thursday to address the issue.
Then Foley said he would not discuss it.
"I'm declaring today that I have a right to privacy, like anyone else in this country," Foley said in a 30-minute conference call. "The fact that I'm not married has led many people to speculate, but I'm not going to be dragged into the gutter by these rumormongers."
Foley, a five-term congressman from West Palm Beach, organized the unusual conference call after an alternative newspaper in Broward County reported this month that it believed Foley was gay.
That story spread to other gay-oriented publications, and Foley said he wanted to be "proactive" before a general circulation newspaper, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, published an article on the issue.
Foley is running for the Senate seat held by Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham. Unlike some other prospective candidates, he says he will run for the Senate even if Graham drops his presidential bid and winds up seeking re-election. He said his private life has no bearing on his candidacy.
Foley blamed Democratic activists for spreading the rumor to try to derail his campaign and rounded up prominent Republicans to support him.
"Liberal Democratic activists have reached new levels of hypocrisy," U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said in a statement. "The underhanded rumormongering campaign they've launched against Mark Foley is despicable."
Added U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville: "I am confident Republicans across the state will reject this vitriolic campaign and make Mark Foley Florida's next senator."
Foley's main opponent for the Republican nomination, former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum, declined to comment through a spokeswoman. But Florida Republican Party chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan denounced Democrats for "truly revolting" and "sleazy" campaign tactics.
Democratic Party chairman Scott Maddox said his "party of inclusion" had nothing to do with the rumor.
"When we talk about a candidate for public office, we talk about their record of leadership and their ability to serve. We do not fire off accusations about their private life. It is ironic that Congressman Foley answered one uncalled-for accusation with another," Maddox said.
In calling a telephone news conference, Foley elevated a rumor that had been ignored by most Florida newspapers for months. The rumor surfaced in Foley's 1994 congressional campaign but never gained traction or wide publicity. Foley is generally viewed as a fiscal conservative and social moderate.
The Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group that tracks voting, says he favored their position on key bills 83 percent of the time in the 2001-02 Congress, higher than any other Florida Republican. For the 1999-2000 Congress, he received a 100 percent rating, compared with 22 percent for then-U.S. Rep. McCollum.
- Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report. Adam C. Smith can be reached at (727) 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com
