Mack carries Lee on way to victory
U.S. Rep. Connie Mack cruised to another election day victory Tuesday, winning reelection with 220,712 votes, or 60 percent.
Lee County voters matched Mack’s support throughout his district, which encompasses parts of Collier and Charlotte counties, with 151,483 votes cast for Mack, or 60 percent, with more than 99 percent of precincts reporting.
Mack said he will now turn to local issues and preserving conservative values in a Democrat-controlled Congress.
“Locally we’re still working on a transportation bill and a water bill. At the same time I want to be a strong voice for the mainstream conservative values I believe in regardless of the makeup of the Congress. It is important I keep fighting for the people of Southwest Florida and what I believe in,” Mack said.
Democrat Robert Neeld and Florida state Sen. Burt Saunders (R-Naples), who ran under no party affiliation, were Mack’s closest challengers, garnering 25 percent and 13 percent of the vote, respectively in Lee County. Jeff George, who also ran under no party affiliation, received less than 2 percent of the vote.
Those numbers were reflective of the numbers districtwide.
Mack was heavily criticized by Saunders during the campaign for not spending enough time in Southwest Florida, but Mack disputed that.
“We had a lot of town hall meetings and meet-and-greets. I think they wanted to hear about what I plan to do and how I continue to fight for Southwest Florida,” Mack said.