Hispanic Senators Vow to Cooperate After Historic Wins

Martinez and Salazar: The legislators look to go beyond their differences on big issues, which may help bridge partisanship

WASHINGTON (By Eunice Moscoso, Cox News Service ) February 27, 2004 - Senators Mel Martinez of Florida and Ken Salazar of Colorado belong to different parties, have distinct backgrounds and disagree on major issues, such as abortion.

But the only two Latinos in the Senate have already forged a friendship and say they plan to work together. Such a bond could help bridge partisan divisions teeming in Congress, political analysts say.

Republican Martinez, former secretary of housing and urban development, and Democrat Salazar, former attorney general of Colorado, met at freshman orientation in November - both new arrivals on Capitol Hill after hard-fought races.

Their presence alone made history - no two Latinos had ever served concurrently in the Senate. In fact, no Latino outside of New Mexico had ever been elected to the legislative body, and no Latino had served in nearly 30 years.

They are becoming instant media darlings in the Latino community.

The current issue of Hispanic magazine features a caricature of Salazar and Martinez on the cover, wearing suits and smiling in front of the U.S. Capitol. The headline reads: "Can our two new senators cut it?"

Both lawmakers said they are surprised by the volume of attention. They also said they like each other.

The two lawyers have several things in common. Both prevailed in difficult and expensive Senate campaigns, speak fluent Spanish, are Catholic and have powerful personal stories.

Martinez, born in Cuba, was one of 14,000 children flown to the United States in a program dubbed "Operation Peter Pan" designed to save them from Communist indoctrination. At 15, he found himself in a strange country, without his parents and lived with foster families until he was reunited with his family four years later.

"I understand what it's like to live without, to have challenges growing up, to be a part of a group that may not be in the majority of a community. All of those experiences temper you," he said.

Salazar was one of eight siblings who lived in a small ranch house without a telephone or electricity in Colorado's San Luis Valley where his family - descendents of Spanish immigrants to the area - had farmed for 150 years.

Now Salazar shares an apartment in Washington with his brother Rep. John Salazar, who represents Colorado's 3rd District. Like many lawmakers, both commute regularly to their home state where their families live.

Salazar said he wants to focus on agriculture, energy and homeland-security issues and that he is glad that President Bush has put immigration reform "on the table." He also said that many issues important to Latinos - such as education and jobs - are also important to all Americans.

Martinez said his first priority is helping with hurricane recovery in Florida. In addition, he said he wants to work on developing closer links with Latin America and that he supports "some aspects" of Bush's guest-worker immigration plan but would not support an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Although they are at the bottom of the Senate seniority list - Martinez is 98th in line and Salazar dead last - they are already in high demand as speakers, party guests and media interviews.

The sheer excitement over the Latino senators could catapult them into major public figures, something both political parties would welcome as they fight to attract more Latino voters.

Adolfo Santos, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said that Martinez and Salazar would be foolish not to take advantage of the exposure.

"This is an opportunity for them to become stars in American politics," he said.

Republicans have made significant inroads with Hispanic voters in recent years and will likely give Martinez a prominent position to build on that momentum, Santos said.

Despite being hand-picked by Bush to run for the Florida Senate seat, Martinez said he will not be a rubber stamp for administration policies.

During a bitter GOP Senate primary against former Rep. Bill McCollum, Martinez criticized McCollum's support for stem-cell research and for a hate-crimes bill supported by gay organizations.

In a tough general election race against Democrat Betty Castor, Martinez ran as a hard-line Republican accusing Castor of being soft on terrorism.

Salazar, meanwhile, has already shown independence from the Democratic Party, by voting for Bush's Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales, who was confirmed earlier this month.

Martinez made his own mark during the Gonzales confirmation, endorsing the nominee in Spanish from the Senate floor in a historic move covered live by Spanish-language television networks.

The two senators, however, disagree on some major issues, such as abortion. During his Senate race against beer magnate Pete Coors, Salazar angered many fellow Catholics by defending a woman's right to have an abortion, saying that it was "between a woman and her God." He also said he supported bans on late-term abortions, except when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother.

Martinez opposes abortion, supports overturning the Supreme Court decision that allowed legal abortion and has repeated Bush's call for a "culture of life" in America.

Santos said that cooperation between the two senators could prove difficult at a time of extraordinary partisanship and polarization in Congress.

But Gonzalez said he is optimistic that the two senators can rise above politics and forge an alliance on some issues.

"They both understand the historic nature of their elections and that they are seen as role models by their communities," he said. "The impact that they have is immeasurable."