Martinez and Winning Elections

The top two jobs of a Republican Party Chairman are helping other Republicans win elections and raising money for the GOP. Martinez must be good at at least one of these things, right?

Wrong, writes Jared Anderson of the Vanderbilt Torch:

Martinez’s record in campaigning, an important aspect of the top job at the RNC, is a bit more mixed. Aside from local offices, Martinez’s electoral experience on the state and federal level is a bit thinner than ideal.

While not an inexperienced lightweight, he is not a seasoned campaigner either. In 2000, he served as Bush’s co-chairman in Florida for the Presidential campaign. After serving as the President’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, he was tapped to run for the open Senate seat in Florida in 2004. While the President won Florida by a 52% - 47% margin, Martinez squeaked by with 49 percent to Democrat Betty Castor’s percent While his statewide vote total was lower than Bush’s, he did manage to beat Castor in several traditional Democratic strongholds, such as Miami-Dade County.

How about fundraising? Not so good:

Another and arguably a more important function of the RNC Federal Chairman (especially in split-responsibility arrangements) is to raise money. When there is both a General Chairman and a Chairman, the General Chairman’s job is to be the big name that draws in the money that will be used to campaign. Martinez’s record on fundraising for his only federal-level race is lackluster. In 2004 for his senate race, he raised $12,463,752 compared to the $11,601,990 raised by his Democratic opponent. To put that into perspective, Bob Corker, in his 2006 run for Senate, raised $15,173,962 against Harold Ford, Jr’s $9,886,998.

Tennessee's two Republican National Committeeemen need to consider your points, Jared. So should the rest of the RNC.