Mario Diaz-Balart
| Mario Diaz-Balart | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 25th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | David Rivera |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | None (District Created After 2000 Census) |
| Succeeded by | David Rivera |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 21st district |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Lincoln Diaz-Balart |
| Succeeded by | Ted Deutch |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 112th district |
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| In office 2000–2002 |
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| Preceded by | Alex Villalobos |
| Succeeded by | David Rivera |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district |
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| In office 1992–2000 |
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| Preceded by | Gwen Margolis |
| Succeeded by | Alex Villalobos |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th district |
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| In office 1988–1992 |
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| Preceded by | Javier Souto |
| Succeeded by | Carlos A. Manrique |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 25, 1961 Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Tia Diaz-Balart |
| Residence | Miami, Florida |
| Alma mater | University of South Florida |
| Occupation | political assistant |
| Website | [2] |
Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart Caballero (born September 25, 1961) is the current U.S. Representative for Florida's 25th congressional district, serving since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2010 to succeed his brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart. The district includes the city of Hialeah, along with several of Miami's southwestern suburbs. He previously served Florida's 21st congressional district from 2011 to 2013, and Florida's 25th congressional district from 2003 to 2011.
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Early life, education, and early political career [edit]
Diaz-Balart was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1961 to the late Cuban politician Rafael Diaz-Balart. His aunt, Mirta Diaz-Balart, was the first wife of Fidel Castro. Her son, and his cousin, is Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart. His uncle is the Cuban-Spanish painter, Waldo Diaz-Balart. His brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, represented Florida's 21st District from 1993 to 2011. He has two other brothers, Jose Diaz-Balart, a journalist, and Rafael Diaz-Balart, a banker.
He attended the University of South Florida to study political science before beginning his public service career as an aide to then-Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez in 1985. In the same year, he changed his political party affiliation from Democratic to Republican.[1]
Florida legislature [edit]
He was elected to the Florida House in 1988 and moved to the Florida Senate in 1992. He returned to the Florida House in 2000. During his second tenure in the House, he chaired the redistricting committee.
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Elections [edit]
- 2008
Diaz-Balart defeated Joe Garcia, former Executive Director of Cuban American National Foundation and former chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party.
- 2010
On February 11, 2010, Diaz-Balart announced his intention to seek election in Florida's 21st congressional district—being vacated by his brother, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart—rather than the 25th district.[2] Although it is widely believed that Mario Diaz-Balart drew the 25th for himself, it is actually a slightly marginal district on paper. In contrast, the 21st is considered the most Republican district in the Miami area.
No other party even put up a candidate when filing closed on April 30, handing the seat to Mario Diaz-Balart.[3] Indeed, since the 21st's creation, the Republican candidate has run unopposed in all but two elections.
- 2012
Diaz-Balart is running unopposed in the general election.
Tenure [edit]
Mario Diaz-Balart's voting record is somewhat more conservative than that of the other two Cuban-Americans who represent Miami--Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Rivera. Unlike the other Cuban American representatives from Miami, Diaz-Balart is a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee.
He is a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, a caucus of Hispanic Republican congressmen. Like his Cuban-American colleagues in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, Diaz-Balart is a strong advocate of maintaining the Cuban embargo, saying "Some people do not understand the embargo of Cuba. Its purpose is to keep American hard currency out of the hands of a Communist thug by restricting most trade and travel."[4]
On September 29, 2008, Diaz-Balart voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008[5]
Committee assignments [edit]
Caucus membership [edit]
- Assistant Whip
- Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference
- Founder of the Protecting Families Online Initiative
- Founding member of the Washington Waste Watchers
- Member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus
- Republican Main Street Partnership
Personal life [edit]
He currently lives in Miami with his wife and son.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ El Nuevo Herald, Diaz-Balart Se Pasa Al Partido Republicano, April 24, 1985
- ^ "Mario Diaz-Balart Will Run to Succeed His Brother". Roll Call. 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Official State of Florida Division of Elections Website
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 681". FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 681. US House of Representatives.
External links [edit]
- Mario Diaz-Balart for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Ballotpedia
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
- Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Profile at SourceWatch
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Rivera |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 25th congressional district 2013 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Lincoln Diaz-Balart |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 21st congressional district 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Ted Deutsch |
| Preceded by District Created |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 25th congressional district 2003 – 2011 |
Succeeded by David Rivera |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Tom Cole R-Oklahoma |
United States Representatives by seniority 154th |
Succeeded by Trent Franks R-Arizona |
- 1961 births
- Living people
- American politicians of Cuban descent
- Fidel Castro family
- Florida Republicans
- Florida State Senators
- Hispanic and Latino American people in the United States Congress
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
- People from Miami, Florida
- People from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- University of South Florida alumni
