Foley Successor Debate Is Tonight: Expect Fireworks or Fluff?

Anyone anywhere can watch the debate tonight (10/27) between the three candidates who hope to succeed former Florida Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican who resigned after confronted with copies of e-mails and other sexually suggestive messages that he allegedly sent to former high school male pages who had worked at the U.S. Capitol.

Live televised coverage is available via the Web at www.wptv.com, from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT Friday.

The debate is sponsored by TV station WPTV and Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and public radio station WQCS.

The candidates are Democrat Tim Mahoney, Republican Joe Negron and independent Emmie Ross. The late resignation of Foley reportedly improved the election chances of Democrat Mahoney, the best-known of the trio.

During part of the debate, a panel of journalists will question the trio. They will include Amie Parnes, the Washington, D.C.-based reporter for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers who closely covered all the Foley developments before and after he resigned.

At some point, one of the questioners is likely to bring up the Foley scandal and see how the congressional candidates want to address it -- will any candidate dwell on it or will all skip quickly toward plans for future work in Congress?