Martinez will not seek re-election
Orlando Business Journal
Sen. Mel Martinez will not run for re-election in 2010. Florida’s junior senator, a Republican from Orlando who was born in Cuba, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. He announced Tuesday he will not seek a second term.
Martinez was elected Orange County chairman (now mayor) in 1998, and then headed the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush.
Martinez said he is retiring from the Senate to spend more time with his family and friends and to return to the private sector.
“I make this announcement today in order to give the many qualified individuals who might choose to try to succeed me an opportunity to organize and gather support,” Martinez said in a news release.
Martinez said his decision was not influenced by the possibility of a tough re-election fight in 2010.
“My decision was not based on re-election prospects, but on what I want to do with the next eight years of my life,” he said.
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