Aug 8, 2009 9:38 am US/Eastern
Senate Will Soon Have Only One Hispanic Member
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Sen. Mel Martinez speaks about immigration legislation during Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute briefing on Capitol Hill May 18, 2006, in Washington, DC.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Friday, Republican Senator Mel Martinez announced he would be stepping down from his U.S. Senate seat well before his term will end. His move creates a vacuum Florida Governor Charlie Crist will have to fill temporarily. But on the same day the United States Supreme Court will welcome its first Hispanic Justice, the United States Senate will soon be left with only one Hispanic Senator.
If Crist doesn't nominate a Hispanic Senator, the only Hispanic Senator left will be New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Martinez and Menendez were two of the last Senators who fought very vocally against any thawing of relations with the Communist Cuban regime.
Martinez's resignation, which will become official once a replacement has been named, could prove problematic for the GOP, according to strategists from both sides of the political aisle. After several GOP members voted against the confirmation, strategists said the Hispanic vote, which has typically tilted Republican, could be in trouble.
While it's too early to tell if there will be an impact, the GOP has had multiple members quit before their terms end in 2009. The most publicized resignation was former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who quit before finishing her first term as governor. There is also Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison who said in late July she would step down this fall to challenge Rick Perry for governor of Texas.
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