| Connie Mack | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Porter Goss |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
|
|
|
| Born | August 12 1967 Fort Myers, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ann Mack (divorced) Mary Bono |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy (born August 12, 1967, in Fort Myers, Florida), known as Connie Mack IV, is a Republican from Florida, elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004, representing Florida's 14th congressional district (map). He succeeded Porter Goss, who resigned to take the helm of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Mack, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2003 (where he was often referred to as "Connie Mack, Jr."), is assuming the role his father, Connie Mack III, once filled, representing much of the same solidly conservative parts of Florida's west coast. Mack's father was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989 and of the United States Senate from 1989 to 2001. Mack has stated an interest in limiting the amount of money attorneys can receive in medical malpractice cases. But he has broken with the party line in the past to support expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, which is not surprising considering the large number of retirees in his district. Mack asserted his independence from the White House and his party leadership early by being one of the few Republicans to vote against the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He was the only Republican from Florida to vote against the bill. He also split with his leadership during the FY 2006 budget debate by refusing to back the leadership until language allowing oil drilling off of Florida's coasts was removed from the reconciliation bill. Mack has become one of Congress' most vocal critics of Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez. Mack is a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus.
Personal life
Mack is a great-grandson of Connie Mack, the manager and owner of baseball's Philadelphia Athletics, and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also a great-grandson of Morris Sheppard, U.S. Senator and Representative from Texas, and a step-great-grandson of Tom Connally, the other U.S. Senator from Texas (Sheppard's widow married Connally the year after Sheppard died [1]). Mack's great-great-grandfather was John Levi Sheppard who was also a U.S. Representative from Texas. He has two children, Addison and Connie V, with his former wife, Ann, from whom he is divorced. On 15 December 2007, he married fellow Republican U.S. representative from California Mary Bono, the widow of Sonny Bono.
Education
Connie Mack IV graduated with a Bachelors degree from the University of Florida in 1993.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Connie Mack official House site
- Connie Mack IV at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Connie Mack campaign finance reports and data
- Follow the Money — Connie Mack
- On the Issues — Connie Mack IV issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Connie Mack campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Connie Mack IV (FL) profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Connie Mack voting record
- Connie Mack for Congress official campaign site
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Porter Goss |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 14th congressional district 2005–Present |
Incumbent |
