Novak: Senator Mel Martinez to step down as RNC Chair after prez nominee named

[seafan]

According to Robert Novak on September 29, 2007:

Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who was named general chairman of the Republican Party only nine months ago, has advised associates that he will leave the post as soon as somebody clinches the party's presidential nomination. That probably will come after the Feb. 5 primary elections next year.

When Martinez took the party post Jan. 19, it was expected he would stay on through the 2008 elections as the GOP's principal national spokesman. Many Republicans now grumble that Martinez has been ineffective in that role, partly because he has been drowned out by the many presidential hopefuls.

Kentucky lawyer Mike Duncan, who came on board with Martinez as chairman of the Republican National Committee, is expected to remain running day-to-day operations at national party headquarters for the balance of his two-year term.

[seafan]

1. Miami Herald: Mel Martinez may quit GOP post

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/255456.html">Mel Martinez may quit GOP post

By LESLEY CLARK AND BETH REINHARD
September 30, 2007

WASHINGTON --
Sen. Mel Martinez, the reluctant general chairman of the Republican National Committee, is planning to step down as soon as a presidential nominee emerges, party insiders say.
Martinez, who was elected to the post in January, couldn't be reached for comment on Saturday. Danny Diaz, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said Martinez is ``the elected general chairman of the . . . party and will remain so. . . .''

Word of Martinez's possible departure before the 2008 election surfaced Saturday in a column written by Robert Novak.

But Republicans close to Martinez said the freshman Florida senator took the job with the intent of leaving after a GOP nominee was chosen, which could be as early as Feb. 5.

.....

President Bush tapped the Cuban-born senator to be the public face of the party just a week after the GOP lost control of Congress in November amid declining support from Hispanics.
Martinez took the job with some caveats, telling reporters at the time that he was doing so as a favor to Bush, did not plan to be an ''attack dog'' and that his first responsibility was his job as Florida senator.

His tenure -- at a time when the president's poll ratings were spiraling downward as the war in Iraq ground into its fifth year -- has been marked by controversy.
Martinez's selection was opposed by members of the more conservative Republican base who protested Martinez's championing of an immigration plan they considered ''amnesty'' for illegal immigrants.

News of his departure comes as Republican candidates are criticized for skipping forums aimed at Hispanic and black voters, and reports that he would step down before November 2008 dismayed some supporters.

''Hispanic voters will be key to winning the nomination, and Mel is one of the few GOP leaders who understands their importance . . .'' said state Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican. ``Mel Martinez understands we cannot continue to alienate Hispanics or we risk becoming irrelevant.''

Martinez, who does not face reelection until 2010, has taken a battering in the polls for his immigration stance, and friends suggested it has been daunting ''trying to wear both hats'' as the party's chief cheerleader and senator.

.....

This is one Senate seat I'd especially like to see in progressive Democratic hands. Florida just cannot afford another ineffective, partisan, opportunistic politician who is clueless about making life better for her citizens.

[jcrew2001]

2. would the GOP ever put a hispanic on the ticket?

i think that would take away many hispanic catholic voters from democrats.