Sotomayor picks up another GOP vote

WASHINGTON -- Judge Sonia Sotomayor picked up another Republican vote Wednesday, but supporters from both parties said the underwhelming GOP support for the nation's first Latina Supreme Court nominee could produce a political backlash.

"This is not a helpful moment for Republicans among Hispanics," said Florida's Sen. Mel Martinez, one of seven Republicans who have committed to vote for Sotomayor. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., became the latest name on the list when he announced his support for her in a Senate floor speech.

Three other previously undecided Republican senators —Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Richard Burr of North Carolina and John Barrasso of Wyoming — said they will vote against Sotomayor. All expressed concerns about Sotomayor's ability to deliver impartial justice.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she plans to announce how she will vote Wednesday evening.

"When the facts or the Constitution come into conflict with Judge Sotomayor's feelings and past experiences, I'm not confident which side she will ultimately take," Enzi said.

Martinez said Sotomayor's 17 years as a federal judge prove her objectivity. The Florida Republican said the judge's opponents appear to be seeking "an excuse" to oppose her.

The Senate's only other Hispanic member, Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey, was harsher. In a press conference where he spoke in both English and Spanish for the multi-lingual news outlets present, Menendez said the lack of widespread GOP support for Sotomayor represents "a slap and an offense to the Hispanic community in this country."

Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino civil rights group, warned Republican senators that "this vote will matter and it will be long remembered."

Hispanics now make up 15% of the U.S. population and have become one of the nation's most important voting groups. Their support helped open the doors of the White House to George W. Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008.