 While Negron carried most of the more conservative areas of the district near Fort Myers, Mahoney carried the two largest counties in the district, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties, by a combined margin of over 10,000 votes — far more than the actual margin of victory.Mahoney was the first Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1973 (it was numbered as the 10th District from 1973 to 1983, and as the 12th District from 1983 to 1993).Mahoney had been a top target for defeat in 2008, due to the district's Republican voting history.