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Florida's problem districts may hold election key, but sex and corruption scandals hurt

From Mark Foley to Brian Mast, lawmakers from both parties in some of Sunshine State's districts have been hit by sex scandals, mysogyny, gay crime charges
PUBLISHED SEP 4, 2020
Brian Mast (Getty Images)
Brian Mast (Getty Images)

The Republican and Democratic Party are wrestling it hard to win the chief executive’s post this year besides other positions that will go to elections but in some districts of Florida, both the major parties have found themselves at the receiving end. According to a Daily Mail report, House representatives from the problem districts from both parties have found themselves involved in sex-related scandals. 

The latest name to feature in the infamous list is 18th District’s Republican Congressman Brain Mast who was accused last week of making inappropriate remarks on Facebook about sex with teenage girls. Mast, who is 40 and father of four, came up with his posts in 2009 and 2011, before entering politics as he served in the army. The controversial posts appeared on the Facebook page of Rocco LeDonni, one of Mast's long-time friend who became his campaign advisor as well. In February 2009, Mast said as LeDonni was headed for a trip to South Africa: 'I'm so proud of you ... i hope you hook up with at least fifteen 15 year olds over there ... its legel there right.'

Then in May 2011, LeDonni asked in a post: "Anyone have any good pick up lines for this weekend considering according to the crazy christian radio guy the world may end on sunday?" Mast, who was then recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after his legs were blown up in an explosion in Afghanistan, responded by saying: "How about don't turn this rape into a murder."

It started with Mark Foley

The problem districts’ ‘sex curse’ begins with Mark Foley. The GOP politician served as the representative from the 16th District for 11 long years (January 1995 to September 2006) but while the moderate leader earned a good name in the political field, the 65-year-old was found to be a gay who lived with a man through most of his time in Washington DC. The impeccably-dressed politician was even once considered a frontrunner for a Senate seat but that promise was never fulfilled because of his sexual orientations in 2003 although he said his father’s cancer made him reassess the situation. Foley pushed legislation related to child porn and sexual offenses but resigned in September 2006 following media revelations that he had sent sexually explicit messages to teenage males who worked as Congressional pages. Foley, who is now battling prostate cancer, was pressured by then House Speaker Dennis Hastert, also a Republican who himself was accused of abusing high-school boys. 

Tim Mahoney (extreme right) (Getty Images)

Foley was replaced by Democratic businessman Tim Mahoney but he too was found to be having a similar problem. He assumed office in January 2007 but could not last for more than two years. He was plagued by a mistress problem as it was said that the then-married Democrat paid hush money to a mistress to hide an extramarital affair. Mahoney, 64 now, reportedly paid a paramour $121,000 to stop her from filing a case after she threatened to sue him for sexual harassment. Mahoney was cruising to get a second term but was forced to admit to ‘multiple affairs’ with women as his wife of 23 years, Terry, filed for divorce. The mistress problem damaged Mahoney’s re-election bid and he was comprehensively defeated by Republican Tom Rooney in the 2008 election. In 2011, Mahoney was arrested for driving under influence. 

Allan West lost 2012 election, thanks to his misogyny 

In 2012, firebrand Republican leader Allen West was set to clinch an apparent history in the 18th District against Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy but was hit by accusations of misogyny. A retired Army battalion commander, the 59-year-old Conservative was once accused of overseeing the beating up of a policeman in Iraq during an interrogation session. 

Allan West (Getty Images)

As West was preparing for the 18th District battle, he attacked Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democratic leader, calling her “vile and despicable” and telling her: “You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!” The military veteran's disrespect for his own wife Angela is believed to have also played a role in his narrow loss to Murphy in the 2012 election after he served as the representative from the 22nd District (later switched to the 18th District because of redistricting on the basis of the 2010 Census). Murphy was succeeded by Mast in 2017. Mast now faces a challenging re-election bid in November in the wake of the sex allegations as he takes on Democrat Pam Keith, who is also a military veteran like the former. 

But is it just a coincidence that these districts have such similar stories of sex-related scandals? According to the Mail, the 18th District, which extends along the Atlantic Ocean coastline from the northern party of affluent Palm Beach County to impoverished Fort Pierce 70 miles north, has been a playground politicians “who've had more on their minds than bettering the lives of constituents for two decades”.

“The district tends to invite people who are not from the area to run for office,” the report quoted Rick Asnani, a West Palm Beach political consultant, as saying. 'It's a highly competitive district, a Republican district where Democrats believe they can pick up a seat. It's often one of the most expensive races in the country, so both parties try to line up what they believe is the right talent.” But sometimes, as the above-mentioned cases have shown, the ambitious political moves backfire.

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