About Connie Mack III
Cornelius McGillicuddy III, popularly known as Connie Mack, was a Republican politician who served three terms in the U.S. House (1983-1988) and two terms
in the U.S. Senate (1989-2001) before announcing his retirement in 2000.
Mack made his first run for public office in 1982 when he won the seat of the newly created 13th District (centered around Fort Myers). He would go on to
win two more terms in 1984 and 1986. Connie Mack ran for Democratic Senator Lawton Chiles' seat in 1988. In a close election, Connie Mack narrowly defeated Democratic Congressman Buddy Mackay. In 1994, he defeated Democratic candidate Hugh Rodham (brother of Hillary Clinton) to become the first Republican Senator in Florida history to be elected to a second term. Declining
to run for a third term, he announced his retirement in 2000.
Throughout his service, Connie Mack supported the passage of legislation
related to health care, financial modernization, modification of the tax code,
and public housing reform. A cancer survivor, Senator Mack was a strong advocate for cancer research, early detection, and treatment. He co-founded the Senate Cancer Coalition, served as vice-chairman of the national American Cancer Society Foundation receiving the American Cancer Society's Courage Award (1992) and the National Coalition for Cancer Research's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). He served as chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Republican Conference. Mack also worked to reduce government debt and was instrumental in the passage of the Everglades Restoration Act.
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