Source: Mel Martinez on McCain's Monday Miami sched. Endorsement likely. Crist next?

A source working with the John McCain campaign says U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez is set to appear with him in Miami-Dade on Monday, swinging crucial Hispanic support to his fellow senator who suffered with him in trying to push an immigration reform bill that was despised and decried by many on the right as "amnesty."

Updated full story is here.

Putting aside the strange-sounding hatred of an otherwise noble-sounding word, the "amnesty" attack won't have good legs in Miami-Dade where 70 percent of Republicans are Hispanic, and many are concerned with the tenor of the debate over immigration.

A Martinez endorsement could help pull Hispanic supporters away from Rudy Giuliani because the senator, though he's from Orlando, is revered by many abuelas. Consider this: Martinez got almost 10 -- that's right TEN -- times as many votes as opponent Bill McCollum (now the state's AG and a Giuliani supporter) in their 2004 primary. Martinez helped drive Miami-Dade's otherwise low turnout up to 37.5 percent.

Martinez has refused to say whom he will endorse. And Melissa Shuffield, a Miamian who has worked for both senators in their offices and on the campaign trail, wouldn't comment.

Gov. Charlie Crist, meantime, has been asking advice from others on the campaign trail over whether he should endorse McCain, who was an early-and-often Crist supporter. Crist also has close ties to Martinez, whose election he strongly backed in 2004. It's more likely that Crist sits this one out.

Then there's the matter of Fred Thompson, who in debates has teamed up with McCain as if they're the two old guys in the Muppets (Statler and Waldorf). Assuming Thompson does as badly in South Carolina as some expect, then he could drop out and eventually endorse his former senate colleague as well.

Comments

[chris Rice]

Candidates are forced to raise large sums of money each election. The 2008 presidential race is projected to total $2 to $5 billion. And where's all that money coming from? Big Oil, Pharmaceuticals, Commercial Banks, Hedge Funds & even foreign governments like China & Saudi Arabia. For a complete list go to: www.opensecrets.org
And what do they get for all of that money?
They get to write legislation like the new bankruptcy laws. They get to set out Energy policy, our Trade policies, our Immigration policies, etc.
Don't you think it is odd there has been no effort to secure our borders since 9/11?
Democrats & Republicans are guilty of putting this nations security at risk for cheap foreign labor. Because what ever jobs couldn't be shipped overseas they brought the cheap foreign labor here. Sen John McCain's Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill was wrote by corporate lobbyist to subvert the Constitution & make legal what is now illegal at a cost to this nations security. Crooks like these (Sen. Barack Obama & Sen. Hillary Clinton among others signed & still support this legislation) should be ran out of town instead their running for president.
For more: www.votestrike.com

He should endorse... its good for Mel and good for McCain.