Florida's 16th congressional district

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Florida's 16th congressional district
Population (2000)	639,295
Median income	$39,408
Ethnic composition	87.9% White, 6.0% Black, 1.0% Asian, 10.1% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% other
Cook PVI	R + 2

Florida's 16th Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in Florida. The seat is currently served by the victor in the 2006 midterm elections Democrat Tim Mahoney. The seat became vacant after the sudden resignation of Republican Mark Foley on September 29, 2006, after it became public that he had sent inappropriate emails to teenage former Congressional pages.^[1] (See Mark Foley scandal.)

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics and political leanings 3 2006 election 4 Representatives 5 1982 election 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Geography

The district stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic coast. It includes parts of Charlotte, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. When the Florida legislature redistricted in 2002 after the 2000 census, a federal court described the boundaries of the 16th and the interlocking 23rd district as an example of gerrymandering and a "raw exercise of majority legislative power."^[2]

[edit] Demographics and political leanings

The district has historically leaned Republican,^[3] with 55% of the district's vote going to George W. Bush in 2004. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R +2.

[edit] 2006 election

The parties' nominees were Tim Mahoney (Democratic) and Mark Foley (Republican); an independent candidate, Emmie Ross, also qualified. Foley resigned and dropped out of the race on September 29, 2006, which was too late under Florida law to take his name off the ballot. Therefore, Foley's name remained on the ballot, but votes cast for him went to his replacement, state representative Joe Negron, who would have been elected if Foley won the November 7, 2006 election.^[4] Since Mahoney won the election, the question did not arise.^[5]

[edit] Representatives

The district was created in 1983, after the 1980 Census increased Florida's apportionment from 15 to 19 seats.

Representative	Party	Years	District home	Note
Lawrence J. Smith	Democratic	January 3, 1983–January 3, 1993
Tom Lewis	Republican	January 3, 1993–January 3, 1995	North Palm Beach
Mark Foley	Republican	January 3, 1995–September 29, 2006	Lake Worth	Resigned
Tim Mahoney	Democratic	January 3, 2007-present	Palm Beach Gardens

[edit] 1982 election

United States House of Representatives elections, 1982
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lawrence J. Smith	91,888	67.89
	Republican	Maurice Berkowitz	43,458	32.1
Total votes			135,346	100.0
Majority			43,458	35.79
Turnout
	Democratic gain from [[|Template:/meta/shortname]]		Swing

[edit] References

1. ^ Foley Resigns From Congress Over E-Mails, Guardian Unlimited; FL-16: Foley Resigning, Daily Kos; Florida Republican Foley Resigns From U.S. House Seat, Bloomberg.com
2. ^ Martinez v. Bush, 234 F.Supp.2d 1275, S.D.Fla., December 3, 2002 senate.mn
3. ^ 2006 Competitive House Race Chart, The Cook Political Report
4. ^ GOP Regroups After Foley's Departure, CBS News
5. ^ U.S. House District 16: Mahoney fends off Negron

[edit] External links

• 2000 Census Data
• OpenSecrets.org's summary of spending for the 2006 race

v • d • e Florida's congressional districts Territory At-large 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 The At-large seat is obsolete. See also: Florida's past & present Representatives, Senators, and Delegations All U.S. districts – Apportionment – Redistricting – Gerrymandering – Maps