Echoing the national GOP’s swipes at Democrat vice presidential candidate John Edwards, McCollum's campaign yesterday called Martinez and Edwards "two liberal trial lawyers. Both wrong. So wrong. So often."

The governor responded: "With all due respect to my friend, Bill McCollum, Mel Martinez is no John Edwards. It's not going to be credible."

He said candidates for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination should "not go overboard" with negative campaigning. "It doesn't work. People are smarter than they're given credit for. They don't buy into ideas that just don't pass the smell test anyway."

Martinez’s campaign stated today: "Rather than focusing his attention on the Democrats, McCollum seems determined to divide the Republican Party with his nasty attacks on a fellow Republican.

"Every time McCollum attacks Martinez it is an affront to President George W. Bush, who appointed Martinez as his statewide campaign co-chairman and one of his top Cabinet officials."

Matthew Corrigan, a professor of political science at the University of North Florida, agreed. "Linking Mel Martinez, who is very close to the president, and John Edwards is a stretch," he told the Associated Press. "Their policies are basically opposite with one supporting the administration and one going after the administration."

Martinez spokeswoman Jennifer Coxe said in a statement: "It's sad. That's just typical of career politicians who don't have anything positive to talk about. They just want to lob negative attacks at people. There's no one running for U.S. Senate in Florida that's closer to the president both ideologically and personally than Mel Martinez."

The Florida Senate race for the GOP nomination could be critical for the president’s chances there.

Bush won 2000 in a squeaker – but McCollum, as the GOP’s Senate candidate in 2000, lost to Democrat Bill Nelson.

Political pundits see a McCollum win as doubtful this November, but believe the conservative Martinez could woo new Latino and Cuban voters into the GOP column – and could help Bush win the state again.

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