Mario Díaz-Balart facts for kids
Mario Díaz-Balart is an American politician. He was born on September 25, 1961. He serves as a U.S. Representative for Florida. This means he is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Florida's 26th congressional district. He is part of the Republican Party. He was first elected in 2002. His district covers parts of Miami-Dade County and the Everglades.
After Representative Alcee Hastings passed away in April 2021, Mario Díaz-Balart became the "dean" of Florida's group of representatives in Congress. This means he is the longest-serving member from Florida in the U.S. House.
Quick facts for kids
Mario Díaz-Balart
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Constituency | 25th district (2003–2011) 21st district (2011–2013) 25th district (2013–2023) 26th district (2023–present) |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 7, 2000 – November 5, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | J. Alex Villalobos |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Constituency | 112th |
| In office November 8, 1988 – November 3, 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Javier Souto |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Constituency | 115th |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district |
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| In office November 3, 1992 – November 7, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | J. Alex Villalobos |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart y Caballero
September 25, 1961 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1985–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 1985) |
| Spouse | Tia Diaz-Balart |
| Relations | Díaz-Balart family |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Lincoln Díaz-Balart (brother) José Díaz-Balart (brother) Mirta Díaz-Balart (aunt) Waldo Díaz-Balart (uncle) Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart (cousin) |
| Education | University of South Florida (BA) |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mario Díaz-Balart was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1961. His parents were from Cuba. His father, Rafael Díaz-Balart, was a Cuban politician. His mother was Hilda Caballero Brunet.
He comes from a well-known family called the Díaz-Balart family. His aunt, Mirta Díaz-Balart, was the first wife of Cuban president Fidel Castro. Her son, Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, was Mario's cousin. His uncle, Waldo Díaz-Balart, is a Cuban-Spanish painter.
Mario has three brothers. Lincoln Díaz-Balart was also a U.S. Representative for Florida. José Díaz-Balart is a journalist. His other brother, Rafael Díaz-Balart, is a banker.
Mario studied political science at the University of South Florida. Political science is the study of how governments work. He started his public service career in 1985. He worked as an assistant to the mayor of Miami, Xavier Suárez. In the same year, he changed his political party from Democratic to Republican.
Political Career in Florida
Mario Díaz-Balart began his career in Florida's government.
He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1988. Later, he was elected to the Florida Senate in 1992. He returned to the Florida House in 2000. These roles helped him gain experience in making laws for the state of Florida.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
In 2002, Mario Díaz-Balart decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the election for the new 25th District in Florida. This district included parts of Miami-Dade, Collier, and Monroe counties.
Elections
Early Elections (2002–2006)
Díaz-Balart won his first election with 64% of the votes. In 2004, he ran for reelection and had no opponents, so he won easily. He won a third term in 2006 with 58% of the votes.
2008 Election
In 2008, Díaz-Balart faced a strong challenge from Joe García. Joe García was a former leader of the Cuban American National Foundation. He was also a former chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party. Díaz-Balart won this election with 53% of the votes.
2010 Election
In 2010, Mario Díaz-Balart decided to run for a different district. He ran for Florida's 21st congressional district, which his brother Lincoln Díaz-Balart was leaving. This district was known for being very Republican. No other candidates ran against him, so he won the seat without an election.
Later Elections (2012–2018)
In 2012, Díaz-Balart was reelected without opposition in the renumbered 25th district. He also ran unopposed in 2014. In 2016, he won against Democrat Alina Valdes with 62.4% of the votes.
In 2018, many people thought Díaz-Balart would easily win reelection. The district was considered difficult for a Democrat to win. He defeated Mary Barzee Flores in the November 2018 election, getting 60.5% of the votes.
Committee Work
As a U.S. Representative, Mario Díaz-Balart serves on important committees. For the 118th Congress, he is on the Committee on Appropriations. This committee decides how the government spends money.
He is also part of these special groups within the Appropriations Committee:
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (He is the Chair of this group.)
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Caucus Memberships
Mario Díaz-Balart is a member of several caucuses. A caucus is a group of lawmakers who share similar interests or goals.
- He is the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference. This group includes Hispanic Republican members of Congress.
- He founded the Protecting Families Online Initiative.
- He is a founding member of the Washington Waste Watchers.
- He is a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus.
- He belongs to the Republican Main Street Partnership.
- He is part of the House Baltic Caucus.
- He is a member of the Republican Governance Group.
Political Views
Mario Díaz-Balart holds specific views on many political topics. He often votes with his Republican Party. He also frequently supports the positions of the President from his party.
He is against increasing income taxes. He believes that lowering taxes helps the economy grow. He does not support federal spending as a way to boost the economy.
On education, he opposes requiring states to use federal education standards. He supports building the Keystone Pipeline. He also supports government funding for new, clean energy sources. However, he is against federal rules for greenhouse gas emissions.
He opposes laws that control guns. He supports getting rid of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He is against requiring immigrants who are in the country without permission to leave before they can apply for citizenship. He opposes same-sex marriage. He supports allowing people to put some of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts.
In 2017, he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He also voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Mario Díaz-Balart supports free trade agreements with other countries. He voted for agreements with Peru, Central America, Australia, Singapore, and Chile.
He supported a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. for citizens from certain countries in 2017. He said this ban was temporary to allow the government to review procedures for immigrants from those countries.
Personal Life
Mario Díaz-Balart lives in Miami. He is married to Tia Díaz-Balart. They have one son named Cristian Rafael.
In March 2020, Mario Díaz-Balart announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was the first member of Congress to get the virus. After recovering, he offered his blood plasma for research. This plasma contained antibodies that could help others fight the virus.
Mario Díaz-Balart is Roman Catholic.
See also
Images for kids
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Mario Diaz-Balart official photo.jpg
Official portrait, 2017
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Díaz-Balart and Marco Rubio in 2001
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Díaz-Balart with President George W. Bush and Governor Jeb Bush in 2004
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Chief Judge Kevin Michael Moore swearing in Members of Congress, including Mario Díaz-Balart, in February 2015.
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Mario Díaz-Balart official portrait
