WASHINGTON (AFP) — Republican National Committee General Chairman Mel Martinez, whose party hoped would woo Hispanic voters, stepped down Friday, citing the need to focus on his job as Florida senator.
"It was my goal as general chairman to lead the party as it established the structure and raised the resources necessary to support our presidential candidate and ensure Republican victories next November," Martinez said in statement.
"I believe we have accomplished those goals. That's why it is the appropriate time for me to step down as General Chairman and continue to focus my energy on serving my constituents in Florida," said Martinez, a Cuban-born former housing secretary.
RNC Chairman Robert Duncan said that during Martinez's tenure, the Republican Party had achieved tremendous fundraising and political outreach success nationwide.
"Our party has effectively laid the groundwork for the 2008 Republican presidential nominee thanks in large part to Senator Martinez's efforts, and I know that he has successfully achieved the goals that he set out to accomplish when he was elected in January," Duncan said in a statement.
Martinez was appointed by Bush last January to guide the party through the 2008 presidential elections.
But the collapse of an immigration reform bill in Congress due to opposition from some conservative lawmakers has drawn anger from Hispanic organizations that demand legalization for millions of undocumented workers.
The decision by most Republican presidential candidates to spurn an invitation to a presidential debate organized by one of the Spanish-language television channels has also generated criticism of the party.
Hispanic Americans are the country's largest and fastest-growing majority. The country is 14.8 percent Hispanic and the fight over proposals to issue tough new immigration legislation has mobilized many Latino voters.
But their support is not a given for either party.
Most US Hispanics, more than 60 percent, are Mexican-American and do not align predictably with either party.
Meanwhile, Cuban American voters tend to lean Republican but as a bloc they tend to influence elections only in Florida and New Jersey.
Puerto Rican voters lean to the Democrats in areas such as New York City and central Florida where they have large communities.
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