Mario Diaz-Balart
Encyclopedia
Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart Caballero (born September 25, 1961) is the current U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2011. 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 from 2003 to 2011.
n 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.
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.
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. 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. Indeed, since the 21st's creation, the Republican candidate has run unopposed in all but two elections.
and Rivera. During his first three terms, he was one of two voting Latino members of the House—the other being Trent Franks
of Arizona
— known to be 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."
On September 29, 2008, Diaz-Balart voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2011. A member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he was elected in 2010 to succeed his brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart was the U.S. Representative for from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate...
. The district includes the city of Hialeah, along with several of Miami's southwestern suburbs. He previously served from 2003 to 2011.
Early life, education, and early political career
Diaz-Balart was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1961 to the late CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n politician Rafael Diaz-Balart
Rafael Diaz-Balart
Rafael Lincoln Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez was a Cuban politician. Díaz-Balart served as Majority Leader of the Cuban House of Representatives and Minister of the Interior during the presidency of Fulgencio Batista....
. His aunt, Mirta Diaz-Balart
Mirta Diaz-Balart
Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez was Fidel Castro's first wife, the daughter of Rafael José Díaz-Balart, a prominent Cuban politician and mayor of the town of Banes, and wife América Gutiérrez...
, was the first wife of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. Her son, and his cousin, is Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart. His uncle is the Cuban-Spanish painter, Waldo Diaz-Balart
Waldo Diaz-Balart
Waldo Díaz-Balart is a Cuban painter living in Madrid, Spain.Díaz-Balart studied accounting and political science and economics in Havana before moving to New York to pursue art studies in 1959. From 1959 to 1962 studied art in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA...
. His brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart was the U.S. Representative for from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate...
, represented Florida's 21st District from 1993 to 2011. He has two other brothers, Jose Diaz-Balart
Jose Diaz-Balart
José Díaz-Balart is a Cuban-American journalist and television anchorman. He is currently the anchor for Noticiero Telemundo, the network's news program as well as the network's Washington DC-based public affairs Sunday morning program Enfoque...
, a journalist, and Rafael Diaz-Balart, a banker.
He attended the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
to study political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
before beginning his public service career as an aide to then-Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez
Xavier Suarez
Xavier L. Suarez was the first native born Cuban mayor of Miami.Suarez attended the Colegio de Belen but graduated from St. Anselm's Abbey School in 1967, earned a degree in engineering from Villanova University in 1971, and later studied government and law at Harvard University...
in 1985. In the same year, he changed his political party affiliation from Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to Republican.
Florida legislature
He was elected to the Florida HouseFlorida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
in 1988 and moved to the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
in 1992. He returned to the Florida House in 2000. During his second tenure in the House, he chaired the redistricting committee.
Elections
2008Diaz-Balart defeated Joe Garcia
Joe Garcia
Joe Garcia is a Miami-based lawyer and 2010 Democratic nominee for . He is the former executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation and was nominated by President Barack Obama to be director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact and Diversity of the United States Department of...
, 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
Florida's 21st congressional district
Florida's 21st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. Based in South Florida, the district is located in Miami-Dade County and includes many of the western suburbs of Miami such as Hialeah, Olympia Heights, and Cutler...
-- being vacated by his brother, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart was the U.S. Representative for from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate...
-- rather than the 25th district. 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. Indeed, since the 21st's creation, the Republican candidate has run unopposed in all but two elections.
Tenure
Mario Diaz-Balart's voting record is somewhat more conservative than that of the other two Cuban-Americans who represent Miami--Ileana Ros-LehtinenIleana Ros-Lehtinen
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. She is a member of the Republican Party....
and Rivera. During his first three terms, he was one of two voting Latino members of the House—the other being Trent Franks
Trent Franks
Trent Franks is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district takes in the entire northwestern corner of the state, including Kingman and Lake Havasu City, but most of its vote is cast in the western Phoenix suburbs.-Early life, education and...
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
— known to be a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
.
He is a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference
Congressional Hispanic Conference
The Congressional Hispanic Conference is a Republican Party-controlled caucus in the United States Congress. The CHC was formed in 2003, with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans of Hispanic or Latino and Portuguese descent. These priorities included support of...
, 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
Hard currency
Hard currency , in economics, refers to a globally traded currency that is expected to serve as a reliable and stable store of value...
out of the hands of a Communist thug by restricting most trade and travel."
On September 29, 2008, Diaz-Balart voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of , commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis...
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General GovernmentUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General GovernmentU.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government is a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. It was created in 2007 align the operations of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees...
(Vice Chair) - Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsThe House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee. Prior to 2008, it was known as the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs....
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
Caucus membership
- Assistant Whip
- Chair of the Congressional Hispanic ConferenceCongressional Hispanic ConferenceThe Congressional Hispanic Conference is a Republican Party-controlled caucus in the United States Congress. The CHC was formed in 2003, with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans of Hispanic or Latino and Portuguese descent. These priorities included support of...
- Founder of the Protecting Families Online Initiative
- Founding member of the Washington Waste Watchers
- Member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy CaucusCongressional Cuba Democracy CaucusThe Cuba Democracy Caucus is a bicameral and bi-partisan congressional group that was created in 2004 with the stated purpose of "promoting discussion and proactive policies designed to hasten Cuba's transition towards a free and democratic society."...
- Republican Main Street PartnershipRepublican Main Street PartnershipThe Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
External links
- Mario Diaz-Balart for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...