The race in FL-16 has now reach the point of hilarity.

On Friday, the South Florida Sun Sentinel ran a story about Tim Mahoney’s decision to not attend a debate with his opponent, Tom Rooney:

Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, embroiled in an adultery scandal, skipped a planned debate Friday because organizers wouldn’t ban television cameras, leaving his opponent to debate an empty chair.

Without an opponent, Tom Rooney spent the time fielding questions from the attendees, including questions on the Iraq war, education, health care, and energy. His opponent, empty chair, was ineffective in attacking Tom’s positions. Tom did dodge one question however. When asked how his opponent’s troubles have helped his campaign, he chose not to pile on:

“I will say this,” Rooney joked. “My life has gotten infinitely more busy over the last 10 days.”

Tim Mahoney’s troubles haven’t ended with the admission of having two affairs, paying off one of the mistresses, and an FBI investigation:

His wife, Terry Mahoney, filed for divorce Monday.

I know I predicted that we would take back FL-16. But the disintegration of this campaign is beyond belief:

Campaign officials said they don’t know what Mahoney’s plans are for the remainder of the race. A spokesman said Mahoney hasn’t decided whether to continue with any more public campaign events or simply wait until Election Day. “The congressman is taking it one day at a time,” Mahoney spokesman Marc Goldberg said.

Mark Foley was unavailable for comment.