McCain gets boost in Florida

Vote '08 | Martinez endorsement deals a blow to Giuliani

MIAMI -- Florida Sen. Mel Martinez endorsed John McCain on Friday, a move likely to give the Republican presidential candidate a crucial boost with the state's Cuban Americans just days before the primary.

''I understand that he is ready on Day One to lead this nation, and I would trust the future and the security of this nation to this man,'' Martinez said in his introduction of McCain at the Latin Builders Association.

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Republican presidential hopeful, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gives a thumbs-up after speaking at a campaign appearance at the Latin Builders Association, Inc., conference in Miami, Fla., on Friday.
(AP)

He added: ''I would not endorse someone that I didn't have total confidence is going to be [Fidel] Castro's worst nightmare,'' repeating the sentence in Spanish.

The decision is a blow to Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor in a close fight with McCain for support of voters in the Cuban-American community -- and to keep his candidacy alive. It also is a setback for Mitt Romney, who's in a close race against McCain.

Martinez, a Republican who was born in Cuba, emigrated to the United States as a teenager and is popular in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. It remains to be seen whether Martinez's endorsement will translate into votes because a significant percentage of voters already have cast early ballots.