RSS Feed of the blog

Contributors:

Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email

Reporter Christian M. Wade has covered the City of Tampa since 2008. Email

Reporter Mike Salinero has covered Hillsborough County government for The Tampa Tribune since 2007. Email

Reporter Lindsay Peterson has been a general assignment reporter at the Tampa Tribune since 2005, focusing on higher education since 2009. Email

Tribune Politics Coverage

Florida Political Blogs:

• State Of Sunshine
• Pushing Rope
• Interstate4Jamming
• News Service of Florida
• FLA Politics
• Sayfie Review/

More Resources:

• TBO.com Home Page
• TBO.com Politics
• TBO.com News Updates
• Live Traffic Updates
• TBO.com Communities

Most Recent Entries

• Nelson: Obama birth control compromise “seems to solve the problem”
• Sharpe suspending campaign
• Sharpe to make announcement, may be out of House race
• Largo Military Museum Gets New Name, Mission
• Planned Parenthood: Polls show Catholics, voters favor contraception coverage
• Weatherford denies any attempt to undermine West
• Michelle Obama to tour Florida for healthy eating
• Pentagon Co-Spokesman Changed Trim After Boss’ Haircuts
• Brig. Gen. Becomes Highest-Ranking Death in Afghanistan
• Special Operations Command To Go Para-Commando Over University of Tampa
• Air Force To Cut Nearly 300 Planes, But None From MacDill
• POTUS Veterans Job Act: Billions To Hire Vets As Law Enforcement, First Reponders, Park Workers
• Will Israel Really Strike Iran? SECDEF Won’t Comment On Ignatius Assertion
• College Scholarship Available To a Lucky Family At MacDIll
• CENTCOM Boss Meets with New Pakistan Ambassador

More

• Breaking News
• Command Post Tampa
• Fact Finders - Databay Blog
• Guestbook: Remembering The Fallen Soldiers
• Fresh Squeezed Politics
• Political Safari

Monthly Archives

• Breaking News
• Command Post Tampa
• Fact Finders - Databay Blog
• Guestbook: Remembering The Fallen Soldiers
• Fresh Squeezed Politics
• Political Safari

Martinez Now Free For Presidential Politics—But Not Saying With Whom

Posted Oct 21, 2007 by William March

Updated Oct 21, 2007 at 06:33 PM

Sen. Mel Martinez is no longer general chairman of the Republican National Committee, which means two things: No more national party duties, and no more excuse to say “I have to remain neutral as a party official” when presidential candidates pressure him for his support.

“Yes, I’m now a free agent, and it was a busy day yesterday,” Martinez said Sunday. News of his leaving the party post broke Friday, and Martinez spent much of Saturday at the Republican state convention in Orlando, where the leading presidential candidates had gathered. They all set about twisting his arm.

But Martinez said he’s not ready to take sides, and he’s staying neutral at least for the time being—like Florida’s other top elected official Charlie Crist.

He says he’s leaning toward a candidate, but won’t say which one. He also has discussed the subject with Crist, and it’s possible they might coordinate an endorsement in the race.

Martinez would be a valued endorsement—the only Republican senator from the nation’s largest swing state, and one of the nation’s most prominent Hispanic elected officials, capable of helping a candidate heal the wounds of the immigration battle.