With GOP Sen. Martinez’s early departure, Fla. gov gets to fill seat he wants for himself

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —Republican Sen. Mel Martinez announced Friday he would step down 16 months early, saying he was making good on a promise to voters that he wouldn’t stay just to keep the seat warm.

GOP’s general opposition to Sotomayor may hurt Senate candidates in Fla., elsewhere

MIAMI — If there is one place where any bad feelings from the hearings on Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination could have lasting consequences, it’s Florida, the pesky swing state that the second-largest Puerto Rican community outside the island calls home.

GOP Sen. Martinez of Fla. says he’ll resign before term ends, return to private sector

ORLANDO, Fla. — Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida said Friday he will step down from the Senate before his term ends, adding fresh intrigue over who will fill the seat.

GOP Sen. Martinez of Fla. says he’ll resign before term ends; gov won’t appoint self to seat

ORLANDO, Fla. — Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida said Friday he will step down from the Senate before his term ends, adding fresh intrigue over who will fill the seat. Martinez, the only Hispanic Republican in the Senate, told reporters at a news conference he was leaving office of his “own free will.” He announced in December he would not to seek to re-election in 2010.

GOP Sen. Martinez of Florida says he’ll resign before end of term

ORLANDO, Fla. — Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida said Friday he will resign from the Senate as soon as a replacement can be appointed, leaving the seat more than a year before his term ends.

Confirmation won, Sotomayor set to take oath Saturday as first Hispanic Supreme Court justice

WASHINGTON — When Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in Saturday to the Supreme Court, she’ll be able to claim two firsts: first Hispanic justice and first high court member to have her oath-taking made available to TV cameras.

Republicans delay panel vote on Sotomayor as GOP moderates, abortion rights group add support

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee put off its vote Tuesday on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor for one week amid objections from the panel’s conservative Republicans, even as the judge’s support among GOP moderates continued to grow.

McConnell to oppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s top Republican will vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Analysis: SC governor’s odd disappearance latest problem for GOP in challenging Obama

NEW YORK — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s mysterious disappearance from his state, topped with misinformation from his staff about where he had gone and what he’d been doing, is the latest sign that Republican governors — once thought to be President Obama’s most credible adversaries — haven’t quite lived up to their billing.

Former presidential candidate Huckabee endorses Rubio over Gov. Crist in Fla. Senate race

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is endorsing Marco Rubio for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat.

Despite calls for conservative purity, GOP looks to the middle in recruiting for 2010 races

WASHINGTON — Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh contend the Republican Party needs less moderation and more conservative backbone to win back voters who have been abandoning it in droves.

Fla. Gov. Crist’s expected run for US Senate seat may have implications far beyond home state

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Popular GOP Gov. Charlie Crist has set his sights on a U.S. Senate seat, a prize that could help his chances if he decides to run for president and boost his struggling party even if he doesn’t.

Republican official: Florida Gov. Crist to announce 2010 plans, hints at US Senate run

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The head of the state Republican Party says Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will announce his 2010 political plans Tuesday and hinted that the U.S. Senate is his target.

Republicans warn of unchecked power by Democrats after Specter leaves the GOP

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is a Democrat again following a decades-long turn among Republicans, a defection that has the GOP warning about the perils of unchecked power only a few years after it controlled both the White House and Congress.