When Nydia Menéndez, president of the Florida Puerto Rican Bar Association, received an e-mail from Gov. Charlie Crist's Senate campaign stating he would not support the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, she immediately started shooting e-mails to friends, to family, to anyone who would listen.

Her message: ``He lost my vote.''

``I was incensed,'' said Menéndez, a Hollywood-based attorney who was born in New York and raised by Puerto Rican parents.

Though a registered Democrat, Menéndez had voted for Crist, a Republican, for governor and even regarded herself a ``loyal Crist follower.'' Crist had served as keynote speaker for one of her bar association functions when he was state attorney general.

But her loyalty to Crist was dead -- ``sealed in a coffin'' -- as soon as she read his e-mail. Now she plans on using her network of colleagues and friends to detract support from the Senate hopeful.

``I was highly disappointed and I'm not the only one,'' Menéndez said. ``Everyone I reached out to has said, `I'm not crossing party lines to vote for him.' ''

Ever since President Barack Obama tapped Sotomayor -- a Yale graduate raised in a working-class Bronx neighborhood -- to serve as the first Hispanic on the nation's highest court, the nomination has become not only a source of pride among South Florida's Puerto Rican community, but also a platform to flex its political muscle.

``We believe this is the perfect opportunity for Puerto Rican leaders not only in South Florida but also in Central Florida and throughout the state to draw attention to the importance of our community and our concerns,'' said Luis De Rosa, president of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of South Florida.

De Rosa -- a Democrat who also voted for Crist -- and other Puerto Rican activists have denounced Crist's rejection of Sotomayor, and have vowed to mobilize support against his Senate bid.

After weeks of staying silent on Sotomayor's confirmation, Crist chimed in two weeks ago, saying he could not support her because he was concerned she ``lacks respect for the fundamental right to keep and bear arms.''

A vote for Sotomayor's confirmation is expected to come before the full Senate next week. Republican Sen. Mel Martinez -- whom Crist is running to replace -- said he will vote for her.

``It's going to hurt Crist with the Puerto Rican community here and in Central Florida,'' said Dario Moreno, a political science professor at Florida International University.

``It may also encourage more Puerto Ricans to vote Democratic.''

Though Puerto Ricans tend to register as Democrats, Moreno said the group is often heavily courted by both parties because they're also prone to cross party lines and vote Republican.

THE HISPANIC VOTE

During the 2008 presidential race, both major party candidates spent much of their time wooing Hispanic voters in Central Florida, home to the state's largest Puerto Rican population.

``Puerto Rican Democrats in Florida are more likely to cross party lines than, say, those in New York because they come from a different set of backgrounds and values,'' Moreno said.

``The early migration of Puerto Ricans that moved to New York in the '30s and '40s were from more agricultural areas. . . . Florida's Puerto Ricans tend to be more middle class, from urban areas like Ponce and San Juan.''