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Who Will Step Up For Martinez's Senate Seat?

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2008

Florida's U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez announced this week that he won't seek a second term. His announcement left a lot of political players scrambling to position themselves for the prized seat. We believe whomever lands his seat in 2010 will be an improvement over Martinez.

Martinez was urged to run for the U.S. Senate by President George Bush. Bush also pushed for Martinez to head the Republican Party but that turned out to be a bust, when Republicans lost control of Congress.

From the start, Martinez appeared to be over his head. He didn't seem to hold strong convictions or vision on who he was and where he wanted our state and country to go. He, instead, seemed like he took commands from Republican Party central, and couldn't adequately explain why he held views on certain subjects, such as offshore drilling.

We give Martinez credit, however, for breaking with his party on the immigration issue. He took an unpopular stand because he believed in it, and that's always worth applauding.

It's clear that Martinez's heart wasn't in public service, and that's fine. Not everyone is cut out for it. We're glad he decided to finish one term before making that decision, rather than running again and suffering through another six years.

All kinds of names are being thrown out there as potential candidates for his seat. Former Gov. Jeb Bush is one possibility, as is State Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. Many others are expressing interest as well, and it's clear this will be a huge race in 2010.

The amount of money that will flow into Florida for the race will be obscene. It's estimated that serious contenders will need $25 million to be competitive. That's outrageous, but the reality in today's political world.

We only hope that strong leadership emerges for this important Senate seat. Florida needs someone who is independent, a deep thinker and not a partisan politician. Of course, finding such a politician is no easy task.

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