Connie Mack IV

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Connie Mack IV

United States Representative from Florida's 14th district
In office 2005-present
Preceded by	Porter Goss
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	August 12, 1967 Fort Myers, Florida
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ann McGillicuddy
Religion	Roman Catholic

Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy IV (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 the state's 14th Congressional district (map). He succeeds Porter Goss, who resigned to take the helm of the Central Intelligence Agency. He has two children, Addison and Connie V, with his former wife Ann from whom he is divorced. Recent press reports have him dating Mary Bono, the widow of Sonny Bono, who is a U.S. representative from California.

Mack, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2003 (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 is the 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 the great-grandson of Morris Sheppard, U.S. Senator and Representative from Texas, and the 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.