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Politics

Here and there yet somehow nowhere

By ANITA KUMAR
Published April 7, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: James Borchuck] Martinez, 60, the Senate's first Cuban-American, has garnered more attention for his role in Congress' immigration debate than for his role with the RNC.

WASHINGTON - A few months ago when Mel Martinez became the public face of the Republican Party even supporters were concerned he wouldn't be able to balance the job with his duties in the U.S. Senate.

They didn't need to worry.

In his first 2 1/2 months as general chairman of the Republican National Committee, Florida's junior senator has been far less involved than even he expected.

There have been no press releases, only a handful of fundraising calls and few meetings with supporters. He took his first out-of-state trip for the RNC just this week, introducing President Bush at a Los Angeles fundraiser that brought in $2.3-million.

"One would have expected a little more activity at this point," said John Pitney, a former RNC official who teaches political science at Claremont McKenna College. "We have a little more work to do with the bad news of '06."

Martinez, 60, the Senate's first Cuban-American, has garnered more attention for his role in Congress' immigration debate than for his role with the RNC. As chairman, many had expected Martinez to appear regularly on Sunday morning talk shows, travel to events each weekend and release a flurry of policy statements.

"It's a glaring absence of presence," said Dan Smith, a political scientist at the University of Florida who studies Florida's congressional delegation. "Certainly a lot was made of his election to that position."

It's a tough job being a committee chairman responsible for raising money and promoting the party's message. But it's more difficult for Martinez, who also must cope with Bush's sagging ratings, a loss of power on Capitol Hill and a spate of bad news.

He often faces questions about a pair of troubling issues: the Iraq war and immigration, a topic on which he remains at odds with much of his party.

But Martinez said in an interview this week from California that he understands - even agrees with - the comments about his lack of activities, but it's not because he is hiding from the party's troubles, as some have suggested. He said he welcomes the larger platform to talk about issues, even the difficult ones.

"While those can be touchy subjects, it's a great opportunity to talk about them," he said. "You can't run away from this."

* * *

Martinez had agreed to take the two-year post only if it would be limited in scope.

But supporters and critics say other reasons are contributing to his initially low-key behavior, all of them beyond his control.

Martinez is competing with Republican presidential frontrunners for media and public attention. The new Democratic-controlled Senate is working longer hours, leaving less time for Martinez to tend to the RNC.

And Martinez and Mike Duncan, who runs the committee's day-to-day operations, are still trying to determine each others' roles in the unusual two-chairmen system.

"When they get that figured out, you may see a lot more of him," said New Jersey RNC member David Norcross, a former RNC general counsel who oversaw the 2004 Republican presidential nominating convention in New York. "It's an unusual circumstance."

So far, Duncan has delivered the party's statements through press releases on the Iraq war, Bush's budget and staff hires. Martinez has sent e-mails to supporters, put his name on fundraising letters and regularly conducts interviews with national and Hispanic media.

Martinez said his RNC duties have taken less time than he anticipated because the committee is still getting organized.

The biggest part of his job is TV, radio and newspaper interviews each week, but he also has traveled to two events during Senate breaks.

Outspoken Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean made headlines frequently last year. This year, he has yielded to other prominent Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

But Dean still sends out a slew of press releases, sometimes several a day, and attends fundraising and civic events nationwide.

* * *

Martinez, a former Cabinet secretary, was handpicked by Bush for the job to help Republicans win back Congress and keep the White House. But he is counted on to woo Hispanic voters, a fast-growing group whose support for the Republican Party faltered in the last election.

"We have lost a lot of ground with Hispanic voters," said Ana Navarro, a Republican political consultant in Miami. "I think Mel Martinez is in a unique position to try to mend those fences."

Most of his Hispanic outreach is media interviews. He also e-mailed a letter to supporters praising embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose family comes from Mexico. And in California, he held a Hispanic event that he said had to be moved to a bigger venue because of demand.

But Martinez might have a tough time with some Hispanics who don't think he has been aggressive enough pushing through a key issue - immigration reform - and who think he has been hurt by a lack of support from Bush and the party.

Joe Garcia of the New Democrat Network, which courts Hispanics, said Martinez has been put in a horrible position.

"It's tough. Exactly what is he supposed to do?" he said. "His party abandoned him. The president abandoned him."

Martinez said there are always some members of the Hispanic community who think he is not doing enough.

"I'm doing the best I can," he said. "I am not the Hispanic chairman but the general chairman."

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Anita Kumar can be reached at akumar@sptimes.com or 202 463-0576.

Fast Facts:

Sen. Mel Martinez

Background: Born in Cuba 60 years ago, arrived in America at 15.

Education: Bachelor's and law degrees from Florida State University.

Family: Married 36 years to Kitty; has three children and two grandchildren.

Career: Lawyer, former Orange County chairman, former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development. Elected to the Senate in 2004.

[Last modified April 7, 2007, 02:17:48]