Mel Martinez
Junior Senator from Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2005 Serving with Bill Nelson
Preceded by	Bob Graham
12th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office January 24, 2001 – December 13, 2003
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Andrew Cuomo
Succeeded by	Alphonso Jackson
Born	October 23, 1946 (1946-10-23) (age 61) Sagua La Grande, Cuba
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kitty Martinez
Alma mater	Florida State University
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic

Melquíades Rafael "Mel" Martínez (born October 23, 1946) is currently the junior United States Senator from Florida and served as General Chairman of the Republican Party from November, 2006 until October 19, 2007. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American politician The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Andrew Mark Cuomo (born December 6 1957 in Queens New York) is the New York State Attorney General. Alphonso Roy Jackson (born September 9 1945 in Marshall Texas) is the former 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sagua La Grande, also known as La Villa del Undoso, is a municipality and city located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Previously, Martinez served as the 12th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush. The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Martinez is a Cuban-American and Catholic. A Cuban American ( Cubanoamericano) is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. He announced he was resigning as Chairman of the Republican National Committee on October 19, 2007 ^[1]. The Republican National Committee (RNC provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States.

Martinez resigned his cabinet post on December 12, 2003 to run for the open U. The United States Cabinet (usually simplified as "the Cabinet" is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the Executive branch of the Federal government Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. S. Senate seat in Florida being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Bob Graham. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American politician Martinez secured the Republican nomination and narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Betty Castor. Betty Castor (born Elizabeth Bowe in Glassboro, New Jersey on May 11, 1941) is an American public servant and Educator His election made him the first Cuban-American to serve in the U. S. Senate. Furthermore, he and Ken Salazar are the first Hispanic U.S. Senators since 1977. Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American politician, rancher and environmentalist from the U This is a list of Hispanic Americans who have served in the U Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays They were joined by Bob Menendez (who is also Cuban-American) in January 2006. Robert "Bob" Menendez (born January 1, 1954) is the junior Democratic Senator from New Jersey.

Biography

Martinez was born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, to Gladys V. Sagua La Grande, also known as La Villa del Undoso, is a municipality and city located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Ruiz and Melquiades C. Martinez. ^[2] He came to the United States in 1962 as part of a Roman Catholic humanitarian effort called Operation Peter Pan, which brought into the U. Humanitarianism is an active belief in Humanism (the idea of the value of human life whereby Humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans Operation Peter Pan (Operación Pedro Pan was an operation coordinated by the United States government, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, and S. more than 14,000 children. Catholic charitable groups provided Martinez a temporary home at two youth facilities. At the time Martinez was alone and spoke virtually no English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States He subsequently lived with two foster families, and in 1966 was reunited with his family in Orlando. Foster care is a system by which a certified stand-in "parent(s" cares for minor Children or young peoples who have been removed from their birth parents Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida.

Martinez received his Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law in 1973. Juris Doctor (abbreviated JD or JD, from the Latin, Teacher of Law) is a first professional graduate degree and Professional Florida State University College of Law is the Law school of Florida State University in Tallahassee. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. He began his legal career working at the firm Wooten Honeywell, ^[3] , where he became a partner and worked at for more than a decade. During his 25 years of law practice in Orlando, he was involved in various civic organizations. He served as Vice-President of the Board of Catholic Charities of the Orlando Diocese. Catholic Charities is a worldwide

Senator Mel Martinez chats with U. S. President George W. Bush in the Center Hall of the White House during celebration of the Cinco de Mayo. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "5th of May" is a Mexican national holiday that honors the Mexican victory over the French army at Puebla de Los Angeles in 1862 The holiday commemorates The official portrait of former First Lady Betty Ford can be seen on the wall. Elizabeth Anne Bloomer Warren Ford (born April 8 1918 is the widow of former United States

In 1994, Martinez ran for Lieutenant Governor of Florida. He teamed up with former Family Research Council President Ken Connor, who was the gubernatorial candidate. The Family Research Council (FRC is a Christian right Non-profit Think tank and Lobbying organization. The Connor/Martinez ticket was defeated in the Republican primary, finishing fifth with 83,945 votes, or 9. A primary election ( nominating primary) also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a Jurisdiction select candidates 31% of the vote.

Before becoming Secretary of HUD, Martinez served on the Governor's Growth Management Study Commission. The United States Department of Housing, often abbreviated HUD, is a Cabinet department of the United States federal government. He previously served as President of the Orlando Utilities Commission, on the board of directors of a community bank, and as Chairman of the Orlando Housing Authority. The Orlando Utilities Commission ( OUC "The Reliable One") is a municipally owned public utility providing water and electric service to the citizens

Serving as co-chairman of George W. Bush's 2000 presidential election campaign in Florida, Martinez was a leading fundraiser. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the He was one of the 25 electors from Florida, who voted for George W. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. Bush in the 2000 election. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican

Martinez and his wife Kitty have three children (Lauren, John and Andrew) and two grandchildren. He is the brother of Rafael E. Martinez. Rafael E Martinez was the 2003 United States ' candidate to serve on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Human rights arm of the Mel Martinez lives in the Baldwin Park neighborhood of Orlando (as does Florida's other senator, Bill Nelson) and in Washington.

Education

Martinez attended Bishop Moore High School in Orlando on scholarship. Bishop Moore Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic High school in the College Park neighborhood of Orlando Florida. After graduation, he attended Florida State University for both undergraduate and graduate studies, and is a graduate of Florida State University College of Law. Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee Florida State University College of Law is the Law school of Florida State University in Tallahassee. Senator Martinez is an alumnus of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

U. S. Senate election, 2004

In November 2004, Martinez was the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate election to replace retiring Democrat Bob Graham. The United States Senate election 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American politician Much of Martinez's support came from Washington: he was endorsed early by many prominent Republican groups, and publicly supported by key national Republican figures such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. William Harrison "Bill" Frist His Cuban background and his popularity in the battleground Orlando, Florida region both contributed to his appeal to the statewide GOP in Florida. But Internet magazine Salon reported that Martinez wanted to run for governor in 2006, though the GOP convinced him to run for Senate two years earlier instead. Saloncom, part of Salon Media Group ( often just called Salon, is an online Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Primary

Martinez's nomination by the Republican Party was far from certain. He was seriously challenged by former Congressman Bill McCollum. Ira William "Bill" McCollum Jr (born July 12, 1944 in Brooksville Florida is the current Florida Attorney General and a former Republican McCollum criticized Martinez's background as a plaintiff's attorney, and many Republicans initially feared that Martinez's nomination would destroy the GOP's ability to criticize Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards' background. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 Martinez was also said to be soft on tort reform, a major Republican issue in the 2004 race. Tort reform refers to the idea of changing the rules applicable to the Law of Tort.

After a McCollum surge in the final weeks leading up to the primary, Martinez fought back in the last week of the race, putting out mass mailings and television ads that called McCollum "the new darling of homosexual extremists," pointing out that McCollum had sponsored hate crimes legislation while a member of the House of Representatives. Martinez pulled some of the more offensive ads from the air after a personal appeal from Governor Jeb Bush, but never disavowed them. List of Governors Military governor Spanish Florida was acquired from Spain in the Adams-Onís Treaty, which took effect July 10 John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American Politician and was the 43rd Governor of Florida The St. Petersburg Times took the extraordinary step of revoking its endorsement of Martinez in the Republican primary and endorsing McCollum. The St Petersburg Times is a daily Newspaper based in St Petersburg Florida, that serves the larger Tampa Bay area ^[4]

In the Republican primary on August 31, Martinez won a decisive victory over McCollum (45 to 31 percent). The election to determine which two candidates would be allowed to run for Bob Graham 's soon-to-be vacant U Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Shortly afterward, he spoke alongside President Bush at the 2004 Republican National Convention on September 2. The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.

General election

Martinez defeated his Democratic opponent, Betty Castor, in a very close election that was preceded by numerous negative television ads from both campaigns. Betty Castor (born Elizabeth Bowe in Glassboro, New Jersey on May 11, 1941) is an American public servant and Educator Martinez's margin of victory was small enough that a winner was not declared until Castor conceded the day after the election.

President Bush won in Florida by 52%-47%, but Martinez only won 49%-48%, with a margin of about 70,000 votes. Martinez did much worse than Bush in the Tampa area, such as in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and in smaller counties such as Liberty and Lafayette. Hillsborough County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Pinellas County is a county located in the US state of Florida. The only counties that Martinez won that Bush did not were Orange and Miami-Dade. Miami-Dade County (often referred to as simply Miami or Dade) is a County located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida

Campaign reporting violations

In August 2006, the Martinez campaign acknowledged that the 2004 campaign had been under review by the Federal Election Commission for more than a year. The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the Following the 2004 election, Martinez originally reported that his $12-million campaign had about $115,000 in debt, according to FEC documents. But the latest revision of that figure shows the original tally was off by about a half-million dollars: his campaign instead owed $685,000 in election expenses.

The FEC has sent Martinez at least 20 letters asking to clarify his 2004 campaign reports. His campaign has spent about $300,000 in accounting and attorney's fees since the 2004 election (see [2]

The organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which monitors political corruption, filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in August 2006 that charged Martinez with having illegally accepted more than $60,000 from the Bacardi beverage company in the campaign. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ( CREW) is a watchdog group founded in 2003 The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the Bacardi is the world's largest family-owned spirits company best known as a producer of Rums including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. Bacardi violated the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and FEC regulations, CREW alleges, by soliciting contributions from a list of the corporation’s vendors for these campaigns, and by using corporate funds to pay for food and beverages at campaign events held in the company’s corporate headquarters on May 11, 2004. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( FECA,, et seq) is a United States federal law which increased disclosure of contributions for federal An amended complaint by CREW in October 2006 alleged similar behavior by Bacardi for Democratic Senator Bill Nelson's 2006 re-election campaign. For other people named Bill Nelson see Bill Nelson (disambiguation. ^[5]

The Terry Schiavo Case

Despite an absence of a quorum, the Senate approved The Palm Sunday Compromise, formally known as the Act for the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo (S. The Palm Sunday Compromise, formally known as the Act for the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo, is an Act of Congress 686 CPS), in the early hours of March 20, 2005, to allow the case of Terri Schiavo to be moved into a federal court. The bill passed unanimously by voice vote and no formal record of the vote was made. Bill Frist (R-TN), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Mel Martinez (R-FL),the only Senators present, voted for the bill with the remaining 97 Senators not present. William Harrison "Bill" Frist Richard John Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of

The act was strongly criticized by many on both sides of the political divide for the following reasons.

• The law applied to only one individual. Comparisons were drawn with bills of attainder, which are specifically prohibited by the United States Constitution. A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of Attainder) is an act of Legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. While some saw this as a legally flawed analysis since bills of attainder take away individual rights rather than bestow them, the rights of Michael Schiavo, as Terri's guardian, to make decisions on her behalf were stripped away.

• The law was a violation of the separation of powers. Separation of powers, a term ascribed to French Enlightenment Political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the Governance Many argued that Congress had exceeded its powers by substituting its judgment for that of the courts and directing the courts on how to proceed. This argument was addressed by Judge Stanley Birch in a highly critical concurrence with the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, given on March 30, 2005. Stanley F Birch Jr (born August 29 1945) was born in Langley Field, Virginia. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with Appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

• The law failed to create any substantive rights. The law enacted by Congress only obliged the federal courts to review the rulings of the Florida state courts to determine if procedural due process had been afforded. Due process (more fully due process of law) is the principle that a person has a right to receive notice and be heard in an orderly proceeding in order to protect his or her However, there was no serious argument that the Florida courts had violated any constitutionally mandated procedural requirements. Nineteen different Florida state court judges, at various times, considered the requests on appeal in six state appellate courts.

As in the state courts, all of the Schindlers' federal petitions on behalf of Mrs. Schiavo and appeals were denied, and the U. S. Supreme Court declined to grant certiorari, effectively ending the Schindler family legal options. Certiorari (ˌsɚʃioʊ('rɛri 'rɑri is a legal term in Roman, English, Philippine and American law referring to a type of Writ

Staffing Controversies

On April 6, 2005, Martinez accepted the resignation of his legal counsel, Brian Darling^[6], who was responsible for writing and circulating the Schiavo memo related to the Terry Schiavo case. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brian Darling (born in Andover Massachusetts, 1965 is the director of United States Senate relations for the Heritage Foundation. During the Terri Schiavo controversy in March 2005, a Talking points memo on the controversy was written by Brian Darling, the legal counsel to Republican

Martinez immediately denied all knowledge of Darling's involvement in the situation, noting that he himself had inadvertently passed a copy of the memo to Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, believing that it was nothing more than an outline of the Republican proposal. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin (born November 19 1939 is a Democratic Senator from Iowa serving in his fourth senate term The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Martinez asserted that the memo "was intended to be a working draft," stating that Darling "doesn't really know how I got it. "

The Schiavo memo is the third incident in which Martinez accepted broad responsibility while laying blame upon a staffer for the underlying deed. During the Republican primary, a staffer was blamed for a passage in a campaign flyer painting his opponent Bill McCollum as a servant of the "radical homosexual lobby". Ira William "Bill" McCollum Jr (born July 12, 1944 in Brooksville Florida is the current Florida Attorney General and a former Republican Shortly thereafter another staffer was blamed for labeling federal agents involved in the Elián González affair as "armed thugs" ^[7]. The custody and Immigration status of a young Cuban boy Elián González (born December 6, 1993) was at the center of a heated controversy

In spite of Martinez's vocal objections to homosexual issues such as gay marriage, he employed two gay men in his 2004 Senate campaign ^[8]. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " One of them, Kirk Fordham, would become a figure in the Mark Foley scandal. Kirk Fordham (born April 4 1967 in Rochester New York, USA has served on the staff of various U Mark Adam Foley (born September 8 1954 is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from

Republican National Committee

In November 2006, Martinez was named general chairman of the Republican Party for the 2007–2008 election cycle (Mike Duncan will handle the day-to-day operations). Robert M ("Mike" Duncan is the current chair of the Republican National Committee. Some felt the choice was made in part due to the dip in support for Republicans among Latino voters in the 2006 midterm elections. ^[9] Some conservatives objected to Martinez's selection, citing his positions on immigration and their general lack of enthusiasm for his performance as senator. Martinez stepped down from this position on October 19, 2007.

Positions

• Abortion: Morally opposed to abortion even in case of rape or incest. An He supports education to reduce abortions, and supports the promotion of alternatives such as adoption. His position on the legality of abortion is unclear, but he has indicated that he would not vote for prosecuting involved parties even in the event of a reversal of Roe v. Wade. Roe v Wade, 410 US 113 (1973 is a controversial United States Supreme Court case that resulted in a Landmark decision regarding In a debate moderated by Tim Russert, Martinez stated the following:

"The bottom line is I don't plan on prosecuting anyone. Timothy John Russert II (May 7 1950 &ndash June 13 2008 was an American television Journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving When I go to the United States Senate, I'm going to be confirming judges who will go to the courts, and the courts will deal with the issue. This is not up for a vote by the United States Senate. " Adding, "We're far from prosecuting people in this country over that issue" see ^[10]

• Economy: Supports free trade generally; supports tax cuts; advocates lowering regulation of employers and reducing liability insurance burdens. An economic system is a System that involves the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services between
• Education: Supports No Child Left Behind Act; advocates more standardized testing; supports school voucher programs; supports English-only education. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110 often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nickelbee" is a controversial A school voucher, also called an education voucher, is a certificate issued by the government by which parents can pay for the Education of their children at a
• Immigration: In his 2004 campaign, Martinez said "Our immigration policy should first and foremost ensure the security of our great Nation and those individuals posing a terrorist threat should be prevented from entering our country. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term I strongly oppose amnesty for illegal aliens; our immigration laws should not reward lawlessness. " and "I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. I support a plan that matches workers with needy employers without providing a path to citizenship. Immigration to this country must always be done through legal means" In a 2006 after election platform reversal, he helped craft the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 that would be referred to by much of his own party as "amnesty". This Bill did not passIt should be written in the past tense --> The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act ( CIRA,) was a United States Senate bill (see ^[11]On June 28, 2007 he would later vote for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which he helped form with other Senate leaders, that would allow many illegal immigrants to become citizens. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, or in its full name the Secure Borders Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 ( was a bill discussed in The bill was defeated through being denied cloture on the Senate floor.
• Environment: Supports funding state conservation preservation funding without raising taxes; supports opening up maximum amount of Forest Services federal land for hunting and shooting sports; supports "voluntary incentives" legislation to make it easier for private landowners to set aside land for hunting, shooting, and conservation purposes. See also Nature The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a terminology that is comprised of all living and
• Foreign policy
  • Cuba Critical of Cuba's human rights record; supports tightening travel and strengthening the economic and trade blockade against Cuba; supports U. Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American Magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la S. government funding of persons in Cuba who are opposed to current Cuban government; opposes foreign aid to countries that oppose U. S. policies; Advocates closure of Guantanamo Bay detainment camp Senator Martinez is also a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus
  • Iraq: Supports the Bush Doctrine, but has asserted that the U. The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a controversial United States Detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo The Cuba Democracy Caucus is a bicameral and bi-partisan congressional group that was created with the stated purpose of "promoting discussion and proactive policies designed to hasten For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The Bush Doctrine is a phrase used to describe various related Foreign policy principles of United States president George W S. erred in hastily dismantling the Iraqi Army.
  • Israel: Supports Israeli self-determination; supports close ties between U. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. S. and Israel
• Health care: Supports private Medicare and Social Security accounts for new workers; advocates more thorough investigations of Medicare fraud; supports reimportation of drugs from Canada [3]. Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing This article refers to Medicare, a United States health insurance program Social Security, in the United States currently refers to the federal Old-Age Survivors and Disability Insurance ( OASDI) program Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
• Homeland security: Opposes base closures in Florida; advocates maintaining "the strongest military in the world. The term homeland security refers to the broad national effort by all levels of government to protect its territory from hazards both internal and external natural and man-made "
• Religion: Supports free exercise of religion; opposes "removing all public displays of religious devotion" from society. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos
• Same-sex marriage and gay rights: Supports an amendment to the United States Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender social movements share related goals of social acceptance of Homosexuality, Bisexuality and Transgenderism Lesbian The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same In June 2006, he is quoted on the matter regarding not amending the Constitution, thus leaving each State to come up with its own laws, "It isn't good enough to say, 'Leave it up to the states. ' . . . If we leave it up to the states we will see the erosion of marriage that we've seen by activist courts, which we otherwise will not see if we protect the institution of marriage at the federal level". He opposes legislation that would protect employers from firing gays, and has declined to endorse anti hate crimes legislation.
• Welfare: Supports Republican-style welfare reforms encouraging personal responsibility; supports programs for job training and retraining. Welfare is financial assistance paid to people by governments
• Indigent Housing: Supports providing housing for peoples of a needy situation: physically, mentally, as well as financially. Public housing is a form of Housing tenure in which the property is owned by a Government authority which may be central or local When secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Senator Martinez played a large part in the construction of housing and continues to do so as a junior senator.

On January 25, 2008, Martinez endorsed Sen. John McCain(R-AZ) in the 2008 presidential election, citing McCain's extensive understanding of national security and economic and foreign policy^[12]. The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4 2008 will be the 56th consecutive McCain subsequently went on to win the Florida Republican primary. The 2008 Florida Republican primary was held on January 29, 2008, with 57 delegates at stake on a winner-take-all basis

Committee Assignments

• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
  • Subcommittee on SeaPower (Ranking Member)

Electoral History

Footnotes

External links

• United States Senator Mel Martinez, U. S. Senate site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Republican Party General Chairman Senator Mel Martinez
• New York Times — Melquiades Rafael Martinez News collected news and commentary
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Mel Martinez profile
• WhereIstheMoney Internet HotSeat — UnAnswered Questions for Mel Martinez
• Mel Martinez for US Senate, Campaign site