Mel Martinez in The Party's Over, by Charlie Crist

On Principles & Values: Born in Cuba; came to US in Operation Peter Pan at age 15

Soon after the 2008 election, one of our US senators, Mel Martinez, called to tell me he had decided not to run for reelection in 2010. The call came as a surprise. There was no reason to think Mel couldn't have been reelected. I knew that Mel had grown extremely frustrated with Washington's failure to adopt comprehensive immigration reform.

That was an issue Mel cared deeply about--and not just because he represented Florida in the US Senate. Mel had his own amazing immigrant story. Born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, he was 15 years old and spoke virtually no English when he was brought to America in a humanitarian effort called Operation Peter Pan. He lived in youth facilities and foster homes for 4 years before being reunited with his family in Orlando. He finished college and law school and became a successful lawyer.

Source: The Party's Over, by Charlie Crist, p.186-187 Feb 4, 2014

The above quotations are from The Party's Over: How the Extreme Right Hijacked the GOP and I Became a Democrat by Charlie Crist. Click here for other excerpts from The Party's Over: How the Extreme Right Hijacked the GOP and I Became a Democrat by Charlie Crist. Click here for other excerpts by Mel Martinez. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Feb 20, 2019