Fellow Republicans support his family decision but wonder how to proceed.
By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published September 6, 2003
TALLAHASSEE - The abrupt withdrawal of U.S. Rep. Mark Foley from Florida's U.S. Senate race shocked the political world Friday and created a wide-open race for the Republican nomination for Bob Graham's seat.
Foley, a five-term congressman from West Palm Beach, said he was quitting the race because his father, Ed, 82, is battling cancer. The congressman's 77-year-old mother, Fran, also has been ailing after recent cataract surgery. Foley, 49, said he would seek re-election to his House seat instead.
Foley said he could no longer balance his parents' health problems with the fact that he and his older sister, Donna Winterson, the campaign's political director, are often on the road together.
"We travel as a team. With both of us gone, it wouldn't have worked," Foley said. "I couldn't do it without her, and I didn't want to leave our parents without either of us."
Foley was in the midst of a monthlong "Driving the Distance" tour of 30 counties two weeks ago when he heard his father had been taken to a hospital. Ed Foley was recuperating from quadruple bypass heart surgery when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Kidney complications soon followed.
Part of a close-knit Irish Catholic family with Massachusetts roots, Foley said: "Sometimes you have to come to a mature conclusion in life. ... As far as my family is concerned, I think it's time to spend a few precious moments for them rather than for myself."
The Florida seat, held by Graham since 1986, is one of four in the South targeted by Republicans in hopes of increasing their 51-48 majority.
The suddenness of Foley's departure caught many Republicans by surprise, including Gov. Jeb Bush, who voiced support for the decision.
"It's the right thing to do," Bush said. "Family matters more than ambition. If he wants to be there to take care of his family, that's great. But he was the front-runner, so it creates a real void."
Rival campaigns and party activists across the state began reassessing the field of likely Republican candidates, all of them social conservatives from Central Florida.
They include House Speaker Johnnie Byrd of Plant City, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon of Palm Bay, former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum of suburban Orlando, and state Sen. Daniel Webster of Winter Garden. Only McCollum has run statewide. He lost the 2000 U.S. Senate race to Democrat Bill Nelson.
As word of Foley's decision leaked out Thursday night, campaign aides described themselves as shellshocked. They rushed to cancel a series of fundraisers from Palm Beach to Puerto Rico to Los Angeles.
"I was shocked. I didn't expect it at all," said Ana Trinque, a Brooksville real estate agent and chairwoman of the Hernando County Republican Party.
Laurie Pizzo of Spring Hill, a national Young Republicans leader who liked Foley because of his experience, said she would not endorse another candidate right away.
"I'm going to step back for a little while," Pizzo said.
Foley was considered a strong contender because he was the only candidate from vote-rich South Florida. With no runoff, a candidate with a strong regional base in a crowded field has an edge.
Foley raised $3-million, nearly 10 times his closest rival, and sought to temper his liberal image by staking out conservative stands on key issues. In May, after a newspaper reported on rumors he is gay, Foley called a news conference at which he refused to discuss his sexual orientation, saying it was irrelevant.
He had fundraisers scheduled for Friday evening in Palm Beach, timed to coincide with Foley's 49th birthday Monday.
Foley's departure leaves the Republican Senate field without a moderate or a clear frontrunner.
The prominent names - U.S. Housing Secretary Mel Martinez, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris of Sarasota, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and Attorney General Charlie Crist - have all said they were not interested in running for the Senate.
Pinellas County Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd said she expects to join the race "very shortly."
Todd, who lost her husband unexpectedly last year, expressed sympathy and said Foley made the right personal decision. "My prayers are with him," Todd said. "I think his priorities are correct."
- Times staff writers Lucy Morgan and Michael Sandler contributed to this report.
