shares our mainstream conservative Republican values in the mold of my father and Congressman Porter Goss". He narrowly won a four-way Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—with a plurality of 36% of the vote, defeating more experienced challengers State Representative Carole Green and Lee County Commissioner Andy Coy. He won the general election with 68% of the vote. Mack consistently won re-election without serious difficulty, with his closest bid in 2008, when he won 59% in a three-way election. Tenure Mack is a vocal supporter of cutting federal spending and lower taxes. He is a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Additionally, he is a co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget and was one of the most outspoken opponents of federal bailouts. Mack has also been a prominent advocate for greater congressional oversight of government surveillance. He voted against George W. Bush's domestic eavesdropping program in 2006 and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Reform in 2007. Mack was an outspoken critic of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, as well as one of the most vocal opponents of the Latin American television network teleSUR. He is also a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus. As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mack helped secure over $81 million to expand Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida, a project of significant concern to the region. Unlike many members of Congress, Mack has been a vigorous and outspoken defender of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. Committee assignments Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere (Chairman) Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management (Vice Chair) Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending 2012 U.S. Senate election Early in the election cycle, Mack was considered a potential candidate against incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in the 2012 Senate election. However, he declined to run on March 25, 2011, citing family and his work in the House of Representatives. On October 26, 2011, it was announced Mack had changed his mind and that he would seek the Republican nomination because he felt no one in the current field was able to defeat Nelson. His opponent in the primary was former Representative Dave Weldon, whom Mack defeated, winning 58% of the