Oct 30, 2008 8:26 pm US/Eastern
Campaign '08: Congressional District 21 Race
HIALEAH (CBS4) ―
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Incumbent GOP Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart faces democratic opponent, former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez.
CBS
When Sen. Hillary Clinton campaigned in South Florida recently, she was dwarfed by the crowds awaiting former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, an all but larger than life political figure, running for Florida Congressional District 21 held by Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart.
The residents of Hialeah, mostly Republican, elected Raul Martinez as their mayor, a democrat, eight times.
The Democratic Party has sent in its big guns, like former Florida Senator Bob Graham, to campaign on his behalf in the hope Martinez can unseat entrenched Republican Congressman Diaz-Balart.
Among the major issues, he told CBS4, "We have to deal with the economy, we have to create jobs.
Martinez has challenged Diaz-Balart as a "do-nothing" congressman who has failed to bring home the "bacon", and who has toed President Bush's programs.
"There's at least 12,000 kids in just our one district alone who would have gotten health care insurance if the incumbent had not voted to rubber stamp George W. Bush," he said.
On Iraq, Martinez said it's not whether but how fast to get out, saying "It's costing us about three-billion dollars a week. That's a lot of money that could be invested in this country."
On the subject of Cuba, Martinez also differs with his opponent by softening the hard line, letting people in South Florida and elsewhere send more money to the island.
Martinez explained, "This congressman (Rep. Diaz-Balart) is standing between families being able to help family members."
On the energy issue, Martinez opposes drilling for oil off the coast of Florida, believing there is a more urgent need to develop alternative energy sources.
"Did you know," he added, "that we can use the Gulf's current to create electricity."
In his past, Martinez was once criticized for hitting a protestor in 1999. Of that incident, he said the man had been throwing rocks at police. "What are you going to do, say wait a minute?"
In July 1991, Martinez was convicted for six counts of conspiracy, extortion and racketeering and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He appealed the decision and the appellate judges ordered a new trial in 1994, citing" flawed jury instructions and blatant jury misconduct". The mayor's second trial ended in 1996 in a hung jury. And a third trial in that same year resulted in an acquittal on one count of extortion and deadlocked on five remaining counts. Ultimately, the remaining five charges were dropped.
He's been attacked on that issue in campaign ads by Rep. Diaz-Balart.
Martinez charged that the indictment was political, that they were brought by former U.S. Attorney Dexter Lehtinen, the husband of Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, whom Martinez was rumored to be planning to challenge for congress.
"What I said in 1990 is that Justice Department could be used for politics," Martinez said. "We've seen it with Alberto Gonzalez and with Karl Rove, and this White House."
His constituents elected him twice for mayor even while he was under a federal indictment. He said it's because they knew him to be innocent, and because he was a mayor who got things done.Martinez added, "I've done a lot of good for a lot of people, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get re-elected time and time again in a Republican city. I never asked anybody if they were Democrat or Republican or Independent. If they had a problem, I was there to take care of it. This is what I want to go to Washington for."
If Martinez should fail in his congressional bid, it would be something of an historic moment, and it would mark a first: the first time he has ever lost an election.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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