Jim Stratton
Sentinel Staff Writer

Sen. Mel Martinez's reported selection as the next general chairman of the Republican National Committee catapults Florida to the front lines in the battle for the White House and Congress in 2008.

U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, called Martinez a "great choice" for the party.

As RNC chairman, Feeney said, Martinez would give the party "tremendous legitimacy" among a growing Hispanic voting base.

"He's an absolute rock star in the Hispanic community," said Feeney.

Martinez's staff would not comment, but other GOP sources told the Sentinel and other news organizations that Martinez had agreed to the position, which he would carry out while also serving in the Senate.

Martinez would assume the job in January, when RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman leaves. His main focuses will be to raise money and promote the Republican agenda.

"Mel represents the future of our party because he will work hard in expanding our base," said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, a fellow Cuban exile who has worked closely with Martinez on post-Castro transition plans.

"Mel will bring a fresh perspective to the GOP, and last Tuesday's results showed that we need to regroup and focus our energies into becoming the majority party again."

Florida is expected to play a key role in the next presidential election with its 27 electoral votes -- behind only California, Texas and New York.

Carole Jean Jordan, chairwoman of the state's Republican Party, called the choice "awesome for Florida. It says a great deal about this state and its strength."

Martinez left Cuba at 15, arriving in Orlando with a single suitcase. He lived with foster parents until his family joined him four years later.

He put himself through college and graduated from Florida State University Law School.

He made his fortune as a personal-injury attorney.

Former Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick hired Martinez to work at his law firm when Martinez left FSU. Years later, Frederick urged the young lawyer to run for office on the strength of his charm and intelligence.

"For a hundred little reasons that are hard to articulate, he had it," Frederick said of Martinez in 2004. "It's almost like star quality."

Martinez began his public career as an Orlando Housing Authority board member. He later became a board member and president of the Orlando Utilities Commission.

In 1998, he became Orange County Chairman, casting himself as a Republican moderate willing to take on the development industry. Three years into his term, President Bush asked Martinez to become HUD secretary, and Martinez headed to Washington, D.C.

In 2004, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate.

His political career has been marked by a growing conservatism. He was a Democrat until the Reagan era, and as county chairman he showed little partisanship.

But as he moved to the national stage, Martinez seemed to move more to the right. In the senate primary, his campaign labeled former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum, now Florida's attorney general-elect, the "new darling of the homosexual extremists." In the general election, he portrayed Democratic nominee Betty Castor as being soft on terrorism.

As a senator, Martinez pushed for federal intervention in the Terri Schiavo case -- a move, polls showed, that was very unpopular with the public. He later was linked to a memo that touted the political benefits for Republicans if they interceded on behalf of the brain-damaged woman.

Martinez denounced the memo, saying it had been written by a staff member without his knowledge. That staffer ended up resigning.

Just recently, though, Martinez was the voice of compromise amid a bitter debate over immigration reform. He parted with many members of his party in calling for a bill that was broader and less punitive that the version backed by the House of Representatives.

With a newly elected Democratic majority in both houses, the broader immigration compromise favored by Martinez and Bush now has a chance at passage.

As RNC chairman, however, Martinez will need to take the battle to Democrats in the media and on the Sunday morning news shows, Feeney said.

"To use a hockey term, he's going to have to be our 'enforcer,' or we won't have one," said Feeney.

Democrats wasted no time in putting their spin on the new job.

"While we congratulate Senator Martinez . . ., we hope that his misrepresentations of both Betty Castor and Attorney General-elect Bill McCollum in 2004, as well as his role in trying to pin the actions of his staff on Democrats in the Schiavo 'Memogate' case of 2005 don't become standard operation procedure at the RNC," said Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Luis Navarro.

Mark K. Matthews and Tamara Lytle of the Sentinel staff and Vanessa Bauza of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report. Information from wire services also was used.