Sen. Mel Martinez (R) Elected 2004, 1st term up 2010
Born:	Oct. 23, 1946, Sagua La Grande, Cuba
Home:	Orlando
Education:	FL St. U., B.A. 1969, J.D. 1973
Religion:	Catholic
Marital Status:	married (Kitty)
Elected  Office:	Orange County chairman, 1998-2001.
Professional Career:	Practicing atty., 1973-98; Secy., U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Dev., 2001-03.
DC Office	317 HSOB20510, 202-224-3041; Fax: 202-228-5171; Web site: martinez.senate.gov
State Offices	Coral Gables, 305-444-8332; Orlando, 407-254-2573.
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Mel Martinez, a Republican, was elected Florida's junior senator in 2004. Melquiades Martinez grew up in the Cuban countryside, near Sagua La Grande, where his father made his living as a veterinarian inseminating cows. After a neighboring 16-year-old was shot by a firing squad for dealing with the underground, Martinez's parents sent him to the United States in February 1962, as part of Operation Pedro Pan, a Catholic Church program that brought 14,000 unaccompanied children to the United States. He stayed in a camp along the St. John's River west of St. Augustine, then was taken in as a foster child by Eileen and Walt Young of Orlando, still unable to speak much English; later he was taken in by June and Jim Berkmeyer. Martinez attended Orlando Junior College and worked at a Publix supermarket; his parents arrived in 1966, and he bought them a used Chevy. He transferred to Florida State, graduated from its college and law school and practiced law in Orlando with Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick's firm. A Democrat in college and law school, he became a Republican in 1979. As one of the few bilingual lawyers in town, he got many Spanish-speaking clients. As a personal injury plaintiff's lawyer, Martinez made lots of money and became head of the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers. He and his college roommate, Ken Connor, started a personal injury practice; Connor ran for governor in 1994 as a pro-life Republican and asked Martinez to be his running mate. Jeb Bush won the primary with 46% of the vote and Connor finished fifth with 9%, but Martinez was noticed. In 1998 Martinez ran for chairman of the Orange County government and in a nonpartisan three-way race won by a wide margin. He sought to deny zoning changes that would result in overcrowded schools and replaced the fire chief for failing to achieve racial diversity. In 2000 Martinez, a Cuban-American not involved in Cuban-American politics in Miami, was named co-chairman of George W. Bush's Florida campaign, and after the election he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

In December 2003 he resigned as HUD secretary to run for the Senate. There he set up a $1.7 billion tax credit program for investors building affordable housing and a $1 billion program to help 650,000 low-income families make down payments over five years; spending on Section 8 housing vouchers increased from $12 billion to $18 billion. But his attempt to streamline the closing process on housing purchases was unsuccessful. Martinez traveled extensively and was constantly available to Spanish language television and radio media; he commented not only on HUD programs but in defense of administration domestic and foreign policy generally.

Up through 2003 he was a distant observer of politics in Florida, where Senator Bob Graham's seat came up for reelection in 2004. Graham was widely popular, a long-term fixture in Florida politics, first elected to the legislature in 1966, elected governor in 1978 and 1982 and to the Senate in 1986, 1992 and 1998, all by wide margins. In May 2003 he announced he was running for president and embarked on campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire and other locales. When asked whether he would run for reelection to the Senate, he would say he did not anticipate doing so. Suddenly a Senate seat that had seemed to be safe seemed to be open. Graham's apparent withdrawal from the Senate race led many Republicans and Democrats to run, the latter all insisting that they would withdraw if he decided to run for reelection. Curiously, the candidates who seemed to be gearing up most impressively in early 2003 ended up dropping out in the fall. Republican Congressman Mark Foley raised $3.2 million by June 30, far more than the $670,000 raised by former Congressman Bill McCollum, who lost 51%-46% to Democrat Bill Nelson in 2000. On the Democratic side, Congressman Allen Boyd by July 2003 had assembled a first-rate campaign team; Boyd had the kind of moderate record that had enabled Democrats like Graham, former Governor and Senator Lawton Chiles and former Governor Reubin Askew to dominate Florida politics for years even as the state trended Republican. In summer 2003 a South Florida newspaper wrote that Foley was gay; Foley held a press conference and said he would not discuss his sexual orientation. Then in September, saying that he needed to take care of his sick father, he withdrew from the Senate race and announced for reelection to the House. In early October Graham withdrew from the presidential race but left his intentions in the Senate race unclear. Later that month Boyd withdrew from the Senate race and announced for reelection to the House.

This left both parties with candidates and potential candidates whose ability to win many party leaders doubted. On the Democratic side Broward County Congressman Peter Deutsch was running hard: he was well financed but had a liberal voting record and a strong partisan edge that seemed unlikely to go over well statewide; former Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas had strong support from Cuban-Americans but uncertain appeal statewide; Congressman Alcee Hastings, who had been impeached and removed as a federal judge, was talking about running. On the Republican side, McCollum was an active and earnest campaigner but had already demonstrated in 2000 that he was capable of running 3% behind George W. Bush; businessman Doug Gallagher was ready to spend his own money, but was unknown; Congresswoman Katherine Harris, who was expressing interest in the race, was well known for her role as secretary of state in the 2000 Florida recount controversy, but was a target who would clearly attract a huge response from Democratic moneygivers and activists. So both parties found other candidates who ended up winning their nominations. Democrats found Betty Castor, a former legislator from Tampa, elected state education commissioner in 1986 and 1990 and later president of the University of South Florida. White House strategist Karl Rove met with Harris, who decided not to run after serving only one House term, while Senators George Allen and Rick Santorum met with Mel Martinez and urged him to run. Martinez had earlier expressed interest in running for governor in 2006--a better natural fit for his executive experience than a run for the Senate. But in December 2003 Martinez resigned as HUD Secretary and announced he was running for the Senate. He quickly raised sufficient money to make himself competitive.

Both parties' primaries proved fractious. McCollum attacked Martinez as a trial lawyer and as a "failed" HUD secretary. To the first charge Martinez replied, "I'm proud of what I did as a lawyer helping people, fighting big insurance companies. There is nothing in my life I would run away from." Martinez ran a nine-minute spot showing him as a teenager in a refugee camp, old home movie footage and a statement by George W. Bush: "The American dream is alive and well, and Mel Martinez represents it all." Doug Gallagher spent $6.3 million on ads calling his opponents "the M&M boys" and citing his accomplishments in business and diabetes research. In the week before the August 31 primary, Martinez ads attacked McCollum as "anti-family" because of his support of embryonic stem cell research and said he was appeasing "the radical homosexual lobby" because of his support of a hate crimes bill. In a debate McCollum called the ads "despicable" and said Martinez was "unfit" to serve; Governor Jeb Bush phoned Martinez on the subject, and Martinez pulled the ads over the weekend. Polls had consistently showed Martinez ahead, with many undecided. But Martinez won big, with 45% of the vote, to 31% for McCollum and 14% for Gallagher. Martinez won 79% in Miami-Dade County, where Cuban-Americans make up a large share of registered Republicans; he beat McCollum 59%-18% in the Gold Coast but also by 40%-37% in the I-4 corridor (both candidates' home turf), and 41%-32% in the rest of the state. McCollum declined to endorse Martinez until 13 days after the primary. But two days after the primary, Martinez went to New York and spoke in prime time to the Republican National Convention. "Only in America can a 15-year-old boy arrive on our shores alone, not speaking the language--with a suitcase and the hope of a brighter future--and rise to serve in the Cabinet of the president of the United States. And only in America can that same young boy today stand one step away from making history as the first Cuban-American to serve in the United States Senate."

The Democratic primary was just as fractious. Deutsch, an aggressive spokesman for Al Gore during the 2000 Florida controversy, attacked Penelas for not supporting Gore vigorously enough. In ads he attacked Castor for not taking enough action against Sami al-Arian, a professor at the University of South Florida, who was indicted on terrorism charges in 2003. Castor argued that she had put al-Arian on paid leave in 1996 but, after no charges were brought against him, allowed him to be reinstated. Castor avoided attacks on her primary opponents and, on her specialty issue, attacked the 2002 education act as fundamentally flawed; she said little about abortion. Public polls showed Castor leading throughout the race. Statewide Castor won with 58% of the vote to 28% for Deutsch and 10% for Penelas; Deutsch carried the Gold Coast, but by only 47%-36%, while Castor led in the I-4 Corridor 70%-18% and in the rest of the state 66%-22%.

Throughout September and October public polls showed the race a dead heat. There was plenty of contrast between the candidates on issues--the Iraq war, abortion, stem-cell research, Cuba, tax cuts, Social Security, education. Both sides spent plenty of money--Martinez $12.8 million, Castor $11.4 million. But it was a hard environment in which to get messages through: Florida airwaves were filled with ads by the presidential candidates and 527 organizations and by backers and opponents of a medical malpractice ballot measure, and local newscasts in late August and most of September were dominated by the four hurricanes that swept through the state. The Senate candidates differed on hurricane relief: Martinez called for tax-exempt development bonds for the areas worst hit and for zero interest loans to help damaged businesses; Castor called for incentives for insurance companies to open their disaster relief funds and for FEMA to pay insurance deductibles for afflicted homeowners. Martinez accused Castor of going soft on the "terrorist cell" in the University of South Florida and ran an ad featuring a retired INS agent criticizing Castor. Castor said Martinez's ads were "despicable" and said she was the only one who had taken any action against al-Arian. She ignored John Kerry and featured Bob Graham; she depicted herself as independent and Martinez as a rubber stamp for George W. Bush. The Human Rights Campaign ran an ad, aimed at Martinez's opposition to hate crimes legislation, featuring pictures recalling the murders of James Byrd in Texas and Matthew Shepard in Wyoming. In the final days Castor ran ads charging Martinez with ethical improprieties at HUD. Both also ran positive ads--Martinez more bio spots on his rise from Cuba and the refugee camp, Castor on her work on education. In their second debate, Castor said she would not have supported the Iraq war resolution knowing what she did now and Martinez said he would.

On election night, the returns showed a very close race, and Castor claimed a recount would be needed. But when more complete returns came in the next morning, she conceded. Martinez won by less than 100,000 votes, 49%-48%; Castor led 57%-41% in the Gold Coast, and the I-4 corridor produced a 49%-49% tie; Martinez won 56%-42% in the rest of the state. Martinez ran ahead of Bush among Cuban-Americans. Some were unhappy with the Bush administration's limits on trips that could be made and remittances that could be sent to Cuba, measures supported by Martinez; but the prospect of a Cuban-American senator proved attractive even to some Cubans who voted for John Kerry. Martinez carried Latino voters 60%-39%, better than Bush's 56%-43%; he carried Miami-Dade County 49.2%-49.0% while Bush lost it 53%-47%. Martinez ran 1% behind Bush in the rest of the Gold Coast, 4% behind in the I-4 corridor and 3% behind in the rest of the state--but it was enough to win.

So Martinez joined Democrat Bill Nelson in the Senate. Nelson was no stranger to him: as far back as 1978, Martinez had campaigned for Nelson in his first race for the House. He got seats on the Foreign Relations, Banking and Energy committees. Martinez promised to work on local issues--getting a veterans hospital for Orlando, the nation's largest metropolitan area without one; alleviating traffic in central Florida--and he said that, as a former trial lawyer and a Republican, he would try to be an "honest broker" on medical malpractice. "I know that there's a need for people to be helped when they have a serious problem but I also know there are tremendous abuses in the system." He flew to the Middle East to monitor the Palestinian elections in January 2005 and in his maiden speech in February 2005 he defended Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. He took a lead role in March 2005 on the bill seeking federal judicial review in the case of Terri Schiavo but was embarrassed after he unknowingly handed to Democrat Tom Harkin a memo, drafted by one of his staffers, that made mention of the political advantages presented by the case.

Committees

• Aging (Special).
• Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs: Financial Institutions; Housing & Transportation; Securities & Investment.
• Energy & Natural Resources: Energy; National Parks; Water & Power.
• Foreign Relations: African Affairs (Chmn.); International Economic Policy, Export & Trade Promotion; Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps & Narcotics Affairs.

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Mel Martinez (R)	3,672,864	49%	$12,836,836
	Betty Castor (D)	3,590,201	48%	$11,472,071
	Other	166,829	2%
2004 primary	Mel Martinez (R)	522,994	45%
	Bill McCollum (R)	360,474	31%
	Doug Gallagher (R)	158,360	14%
	Johnnie Byrd (R)	68,982	6%
	Other	55,121	5%
1998 general	Bob Graham (D)	2,436,402	62%	$5,094,581
	Charlie Crist (R)	1,463,749	38%	$1,487,498