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Did Mel see the writing on the wall? Either way, this is a blow to the GOP.
Expect to see more sitting Congressional members decide not to seek re-election in 2010.
ORLANDO — Florida U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez will not seek a second term in 2010, he said during a press conference Tuesday morning.
“Today, with deep love for this country and with sincere gratitude to the people who placed their trust in me, I announce that I will not run for reelection to the United States Senate.
During the speech, Martinez detailed the reasons he is leaving office.
“Some might try to characterize this decision in terms of political affairs. Some will say a re-election campaign would have been too difficult. But I’ve faced much tougher odds in political campaigns and in life. My decision was not based on reelection prospects, but on what I want to do with the next eight years of my life.
“The thought of devoting more time to my roles as husband, dad, granddad, brother and son to the family I love and cherish, and to be “Mel” to the friends I miss – makes this decision far easier than one might think.
“So with two years left in my term, I make this announcement today in order to give the many qualified individuals who might choose to try to succeed me an opportunity to organize and gather support.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Man! I just logged on to post this, too!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Jeb for Senate!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Diaz-Balart for Senate.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
This seems like mixed news. On the one hand, Martinez wasn’t in a great position to win re-election and there are a number of Florida Republicans capable of running a more competitive race. And it’s true that Martinez wasn’t exactly beloved by the base (his amnesty position caused friction). All the same, he was one of the few minorities in the Republican constellation and now doesn’t exactly seem like a great time to highlight the Republican Party’s diversity problem. Ideally, we’d hope for a Jeb Bush or Adam Putnam candidacy- Bush would certainly hold the seat and Putnam might- but I wonder if there aren’t any other Hispanics on the Florida Republican bench (or perhaps a woman not named Katherine Harris).
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Let’s play the “What Senators will retire in 2010″ game.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Alex,
Me too!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Adam Putman will not run. He resigned his leadership position in the House.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Kristofer,
Excellent idea. I forgot about Diaz-Balart, who impressed me enormously as a surrogate for, I think, McCain during the Republican primaries.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Diaz-Balart seems excellent on everything except amnesty, and realistically, no Florida Republican, who could win a Senate seat, would oppose amnesty.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Where does Jeb stand on “amnesty?”
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Eh. His Mexican wife gives him street cred with the Hispanics. His problem is his last name.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Let’s not siphon off Jeb, who is amazing, for an affirmative action pick. Sometimes it can go too far, and this is one of those cases. Jeb’s so popular in Florida, and his last name isn’t going to hurt him enough there to make him lose.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Robbie,
Jeb is more pro-amnesty then his brother, but I really don’t care where candidates stand on that issue. We’re going to have full-bore amnesty before 2010, with McCain and Obama locking arms.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
MEM,
C’mon, don’t give up that easy. I say you start making DeMint/Tancredo ‘10 t-shirts.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I’d rather give Jeb a couple more years for the anti-Bush sentiment to subside and see him run against Nelson in 2012. if Jeb could pick HIM off that would be really something.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Robbie,
I’m really not that concerned about the issue to begin with. My only issue with the current amnesty crowd, is that their amnesty isn’t actually going to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, and we’ll be in the same position, but with twice as many illegals, a decade from now. Tancredo does nothing for me because A.) I don’t want to increase legal immigration restrictions and B.) I’m fine with an amnesty that comes with genuine border security. Alas, no one is actually proposing that.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I’d rather give Jeb a couple more years for the anti-Bush sentiment to subside and see him run against Nelson in 2012. if Jeb could pick HIM off that would be really something.
I don’t want to take any chances. Plus, by November 2010, anti-Bush sentiment will subside more than enough for Jeb.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
If Jeb runs, this should be a good thing, at least on the electability side.
Like Alex, I’d rather not take a chance. “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Remember this is Florida. Jeb Bush couldn’t lose even if he try or put Sarah Palin as co-senator.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Well – someone ought to commission a poll to see where things stand now.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
The other huge news out of Florida is that our CFO Alex Sinx, a very conservative Democrat, is running for re-election as Chief Financial Officer or she may run for the empty Senate seat. She was widely viewed as the strongest candidate for Governor against old Communist Crist. This is perhaps the best break Charlie will get in his run for another term. If Sinx runs for Senate, the Dems could win it.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Jonathan, ‘Communist Crist’. I don’t care much for the guy, but where did this come from may I ask? I haven’t heard about such leanings.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
IllinoisGuy,
I used to call him “Comrade Crist”, but I’m not so sure anymore. It’s odd, because according to CATO, Charlie Crist was the most fiscally conservative Governor in the country over the last two years. He was, as I recall, the only Governor to receive an A. Now generally, Republican Governors score much better with CATO at the beginning of their term, but I have a hard time believing a Governor that CATO gave an A is a “Communist”. Maybe Jonathan has a better sense of things but, I’m not really sure what Crist has actually DONE, on a fiscal front, to earn the hatred of conservatives.
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Say hello to Alex Sink as your next Senator of Florida, she is a very popular up and coming Conservative Democrat.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Martinez just barely won in a Republican year. This might be good news.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Mario Diaz-Balart is not an AA pick. He was my #3 during the veepstakes. Read his bio and conservative credentials.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Should Crist enter the 2012 primaries, that could block Rudy’s path should he be inclined to run again (provided that the order of primary States remains).
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 pm
There’s no way Rudy would run again, not imho.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
This is good news. Martinez was going to get slaughtered. And I don’t want to have to vote for someone I don’t like in 3 straight elections (McCain this year and both Crist and Harris two years ago…bleg).