When discussing replacements for the late U.S. Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young, for some, the conversation eventually turns to his son, Bill Young, Jr. (or even, God forbid, his widow and, inexplicably, his brother).
A new, non-partisan analysis reveals that in Florida this is not an uncommon tradition.
Of the 132 U.S. representatives since Florida statehood, 13 had family members who previously served in either the House or Senate, according to a Smart Politics review of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Smart Politics is an independent website edited by University of Minnesota political science professor Eric J. Ostermeier.
One of the most recent examples of following in a relative’s political footprints is Republican Connie Mack IV, the four-term lawmaker from Fort Myers. Mack’s father served in both the House and the Senate. In 2012, the younger Mack resigned his seat for a Senate bid, eventually losing to Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson.
Smart Politics found that of the 27 members of the Florida U.S. House delegation, three members had a relative who previously served in Congress (during the 111th Congress a few years ago, that number was five).
After nearly 44 years in office, Young, who died last week at 82, was the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. House. Now his Pinellas County seat, which has become an increasingly swing district, will hold a special election early in 2014.
A win by a Young family member would continue a kind of tradition.
