Bush Comments On Retirement Of Florida Sen. Mel Martinez

December 3, 2008 10:55 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday praised and congratulated Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) for a "distinguished career." The first-term senator has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2010.

In a statement, Bush said, "Mel's life story is a testament to the power of the American dream. Since immigrating to the United States from Cuba at the age of 15 as a part of Operation Pedro Pan, he has taken on big challenges and built a record of achievement."

"By becoming our country's first Cuban-American Cabinet member as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the first Cuban-American United States Senator, he has been a source of inspiration to people all across our country. As General Chairman of the Republican National Committee, he worked to strengthen our party and expand outreach to new audiences. In addition, he has been a passionate voice for freedom in his native country," the president added.

Martinez held a press conference the same day saying he was retiring from the Senate. Despite being one of several vulnerable Republicans who faced a tough re-election fight, the 62-year-old senator said his retirement, Martinez said his decision "was not based on re-election prospects" but on the need to spend more time with his family and on "what to do with the next eight years" of his life.

"Some might try to characterize this decision in terms of political affairs. Some will say a re-election campaign would have been too difficult. But I've faced much tougher odds in political campaigns and in life," the senator added.

During his first term in the Senate, Martinez had clashed with party conservatives over his stance on immigration. He had supported a 2006 bipartisan bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and supported by Bush that gave illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

The president's younger brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has told Politico that he is "considering" running for the seat of Martinez. Floria Attorney General Bill McCollum has also been reported as a contender for the seat.