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By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Florida Republicans on Monday chose a nominee to replace disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley in the November 7 House of Representatives election, but it is too late to change the ballot so the newcomer can only win by persuading voters to cast ballots for the man accused of sending lewd messages to teenage boys.
"It's a big challenge," said the substitute candidate, state lawmaker Joe Negron. "A vote for Mark Foley is not a vote to re-elect former Representative Mark Foley. Mark Foley's name is a place-holder. I'm asking voters to vote Republican."
Foley's name cannot be removed because the ballot had already been certified when the six-term House veteran resigned his seat on Friday after his e-mails and sexually explicit instant messages to former congressional pages became public.
The Florida Republicans' executive committee met in a closed session in Orlando and picked Negron to replace him, in part because Negron already has a head start in fund-raising as a result of his aborted run this year for Florida attorney general.
Negron, who is starting his congressional campaign only five weeks before the election, is well known in the congressional district where he was born and raised.
He said he will use phone calls, direct mail and signs to educate voters about the ballot complication and ask election supervisors in his district to post their own explanatory signs on election day.
Foley's seat had been considered safe for Republicans in a year when they are concerned about losing control of the House, but not any more.
Negron will face Democrat Tim Mahoney, who had been considered a long shot before the scandal broke.
Florida Republican Party Chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan said she hoped voters would not punish other Republicans for what Foley did.
"This can affect all the races," Jordan said. "This was Mark Foley's huge, huge mistake and shame on him and let's not let that affect any other races."
Both Negron and Jordan said they supported investigations to identify and punish anyone who knew about Foley's actions and failed to act.
"I guarantee if we had known about it, we would have stopped it," Jordan said.
At a news conference to announce his selection, Negron said, "Everyone agrees that what Mark Foley did was indefensible and reprehensible."
Additional reporting by CNN's Glenn Beck, Reuters.
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