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Joe Negron: The Man to Replace Mark Foley Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com STUART, Fla. -- The man who Florida Republicans have picked to replace Mark Foley says he can keep that seat GOP this year.
Meet Florida State Rep. Joe Negron, who has the monumental task of running in place of the disgraced former Congressman and winning a hotly contested seat - in a time period of one month.
But, it appears the Negron has the mettle, the funds and the experience to pull it off.
In an interview with NewsMax.com, Negron says he is getting an enthusiastic reception from voters of the 16th congressional district in the few days since he was chosen. He also says the Foley scandal has generated tremendous interest by Republicans across the country who want to make sure this Florida seat remains firmly in the hands of the GOP.
Negron is no stranger to politics. He's been a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2000 and a strong supporter of Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Mel Martinez. Negron is also an attorney in private practice. He is married and has three children.
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Negron said his key theme will be to remind voters that this election is not about Foley, but instead about the need to elect a Republican in a solidly Republican district.
While the current wisdom among the media and Democrats is that the Democrats will take the seat in a reaction to the Foley scandal, Negron and many Republicans on the ground in Florida see things differently.
NewsMax.com caught up with Rep. Negron as he left one campaign stop and headed for another during what he promises will be a whirlwind, five-week campaign.
NewsMax: What kind of reception have you been getting as you travel around the district?
Rep. Negron: I'm getting a tremendous reception. I'm feeling very strong support. What I'm hearing from people is that this election is not a referendum about Mark Foley. Everyone agrees that what Mark Foley did was reprehensible. My opponent wants a free ride to congress — he thinks that we're all just going to coronate him because somebody did something wrong. What I'm feeling is this groundswell of people saying 'no, the voters deserve a choice, this is a Republican seat.' I'm very encouraged.
NewsMax: Your biggest problem seems to be this business of Foley's name, and not your own, being on the ballot. In order to vote for you, voters have to pull the Foley lever even though you — not Foley — are the candidate. What kind of effect will this have on your chances?
Rep. Negron: I think voters have figured it out. Yesterday I spoke to a group of young professionals and as I was walking out a woman approached me. It was [actress] Susan Lucci's mom. And without any prompting from me she said, 'Oh, I saw you on TV. You're Joe Negron and you're taking Mark Foley's place on the ballot and a vote for Mark Foley is a vote for Joe Negron.'
I think that one of the benefits of all the publicity is that people now understand that his name is merely a place-holder on the ballot. The voters are always smarter than the so-called experts think they are.
NewsMax: Is there any way that you can be assured that the voters understand this — do you have phone banks, etc. to explain this to the voters who don't understand it?
Rep. Negron: There are just under 20,000 absentee ballots out — all of those people have been called by phone and told that a vote for Mark Foley is a vote for Joe Negron. We have a mail piece going out that explains what happened and lets people know that. We're engaged in a massive education effort in the eight counties that make up the 16th congressional district. People have been very receptive — they tell me they understand — it's not that complicated.
NewsMax: [Former President] Nixon always said that the real a campaign only lasts three weeks — the final three weeks. That's when most swing voters make up their minds. What are your plans for those three weeks?
Rep. Negron: I agree with that. I think the voters are sick and tired of these year-and-a-half-long slugfests we call campaigns. What I'm going to be doing in the next four and a half weeks, I'm going to be talking to voters in this district. My number one priority is to make sure they know me and my track record — that I've served in the legislature, that I have experience in the budget. And I have to raise money to get my name out, particularly in areas outside my legislative district where I'm not well known. [GOP national chairman] Ken Mehlman is coming for two fund-raising events. Governor Jeb Bush will be here next week for a fund-raising event. The people who want me to win are the conservative base and that's why [former] Congressman Connie Mack Jr. is coming to town. Congressman Tom Feeney is going to come to the district to campaign with me.
Conservative Democrats and Republicans want a fiscal conservative and someone who is going to vote to protect out national security. This district has been Republican for more than a quarter of a century. I don't think Republicans are going to walk away from the seat.
NewsMax: "One of the voters in your district, a man by the name of Rush Limbaugh, has been pounding away on the thought that the reaction [to the Foley scandals] especially among the conservative base, is anger - not at Foley, but at the Democrats and the media.
Rep. Negron: "I feel that a lot of people feel let down by Mark Foley. The Democrats are saying Mark Foley did evil things, therefore we win the seat. That logic is what is making people angry. That's why the Republicans are saying "wait a minute — Americans believe in personal responsibility, not collective guilt," and I'm feeling a very warm reception from voters as I'm going around the district.
NewsMax: Do you see a strong element of hypocrisy among the Democrats — especially when Nancy Pelosi, who attacked House Republicans for allegedly not protecting "children," is the same Nancy Pelosi who voted against the Boy Scouts because they wouldn't allow homosexuals to be scout masters?
Rep. Negron: There is hypocrisy. At least the Republican member resigned from Congress, unlike the Democratic members. When this first came out on Friday, I read about it in the newspapers, and by 3:10 in the afternoon he [Foley] was gone.
Editor's note:
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