The Tampa Bay Times endorsed long-shot Senate candidate Dave Weldon on Sunday over presumptive nominee Rep. Connie Mack. In an editorial that was not flattering to either candidate, the editors argued that at least Weldon was a “more serious-minded lawmaker.”
The editors first took aim at Mack: “U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV of Fort Myers has the famous name, the endorsements, the PAC money — and questionable work habits, a sense of entitlement and an undistinguished record in Congress.”
Though the paper opted for Weldon, a former U.S. Congressman, the editors also pointed out that they don’t see eye-to-eye with him on many issues:
While taking pride in supporting efforts that balanced the federal budget during several years of Bill Clinton’s presidency, Weldon also supported the Bush-era tax cuts, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Medicare prescription drug program that increased deficit spending. He is a social conservative as well as a fiscal conservative, and we disagreed with his efforts to have Congress intervene in the Terri Schiavo feeding tube issue in 2005. We also disagree with his opposition to abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.
