Who is Congresman Mario Diaz-Balart?
Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida's 25th District
Biographical Information
Born: September 25, 1961
Current Age: 57
Son of Rafael and Hilda-Diaz Balart
Race: Hispanic American
Religion: Roman Catholic
Residence: Miami, Florida
Education: University of South Florida- BA in Political Science
Party: Republican
Career
After graduating with a degree in political science from the University of South Florida, Representative Balart began his career in public service as an aide to then the mayor or Miami, Xavier Suarez. Prior to working to 1985, Representative Balart was a Democrat but switched to a Republican when he started working as an aide for the mayor. Following his time in the mayors office, he moved on to run for Florida's House of Representatives in 1988 for District 112, an election he won. He stayed in the state's House of Representatives for four years before running for Florida's State Senate in District 37. He was elected in 1992 to the State Senate and served until 2000. From 2000 to 2002, he made a brief return to the state's House of Representatives in District 115. In 2003, he was elected as a U.S Representative for Florida's 25th congressional district which mainly serves Western Miami-Dade area. In 2010, he ran for Florida's 21st district rather than the 25th. The seat vacated in the 25th district was his brothers and he won unopposed due to the long history of the 21st district being the most republican in the state. In 2012, Rep. Balart was elected to the 25th district again. Since then, he has ran unopposed in 2014 and has won with a 62.7% to 37.6% margin in 2016 and a 60.5% to 39.5% margin in the most recent 2018 election.
Family
Representative Balart is the son of Rafael and Hilda-Diaz Balart. He is of Cuban descent. His father, Rafael, was an exiled Cuban politician. Interestingly, his aunt was married to Fidel Castro but later on divorced making Representative Balart a former nephew of the infamous Cuban leader. Mario-Diaz Balart is not the first in congress. His brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, was also a U.S House of Representative from Florida. Representative Mario-Diaz Balart is married to his wife, Tia. Together the couple have one son, Christian Rafael, and currently reside in Miami, Florida.
Committee and Subcommittee Assignments
Being in Congress for more than a decade has led to an array of assignments on committees and subcommittees for the Representative. One of his more important positions is serving as a senior member of the House Committee of Appropriations while also being a ranking member on the Subcommittee of Transportation and the Subcommittee of Housing and Urban Development. He also serves on House Committee of Budget. Along with serving on those committees, he is serving on State, Foreign Operations, Related Programs, and Defense Subcommittees.
General Views
Representative Balart is a republican and therefore has most typical conservative views. Some of his views on mainstream issues include anti-abortion, pro gun rights, and pro Cuban embargo even though he is of Cuban descent. In the 2008 crisis, he opposed the bailout for General Motors as well as Wall Street. His passions for democracy are shown through his support for individual rights, promoting economic prosperity, and having a very strong national defense in areas such as the military.
References:
https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/about-mario/biography
https://ballotpedia.org/Florida%27s_25th_Congressional_District
http://www.nndb.com/people/939/000036831/
Biographical Information
Born: September 25, 1961
Current Age: 57
Son of Rafael and Hilda-Diaz Balart
Race: Hispanic American
Religion: Roman Catholic
Residence: Miami, Florida
Education: University of South Florida- BA in Political Science
Party: Republican
Career
After graduating with a degree in political science from the University of South Florida, Representative Balart began his career in public service as an aide to then the mayor or Miami, Xavier Suarez. Prior to working to 1985, Representative Balart was a Democrat but switched to a Republican when he started working as an aide for the mayor. Following his time in the mayors office, he moved on to run for Florida's House of Representatives in 1988 for District 112, an election he won. He stayed in the state's House of Representatives for four years before running for Florida's State Senate in District 37. He was elected in 1992 to the State Senate and served until 2000. From 2000 to 2002, he made a brief return to the state's House of Representatives in District 115. In 2003, he was elected as a U.S Representative for Florida's 25th congressional district which mainly serves Western Miami-Dade area. In 2010, he ran for Florida's 21st district rather than the 25th. The seat vacated in the 25th district was his brothers and he won unopposed due to the long history of the 21st district being the most republican in the state. In 2012, Rep. Balart was elected to the 25th district again. Since then, he has ran unopposed in 2014 and has won with a 62.7% to 37.6% margin in 2016 and a 60.5% to 39.5% margin in the most recent 2018 election.
Family
Representative Balart is the son of Rafael and Hilda-Diaz Balart. He is of Cuban descent. His father, Rafael, was an exiled Cuban politician. Interestingly, his aunt was married to Fidel Castro but later on divorced making Representative Balart a former nephew of the infamous Cuban leader. Mario-Diaz Balart is not the first in congress. His brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, was also a U.S House of Representative from Florida. Representative Mario-Diaz Balart is married to his wife, Tia. Together the couple have one son, Christian Rafael, and currently reside in Miami, Florida.
Committee and Subcommittee Assignments
Being in Congress for more than a decade has led to an array of assignments on committees and subcommittees for the Representative. One of his more important positions is serving as a senior member of the House Committee of Appropriations while also being a ranking member on the Subcommittee of Transportation and the Subcommittee of Housing and Urban Development. He also serves on House Committee of Budget. Along with serving on those committees, he is serving on State, Foreign Operations, Related Programs, and Defense Subcommittees.
General Views
Representative Balart is a republican and therefore has most typical conservative views. Some of his views on mainstream issues include anti-abortion, pro gun rights, and pro Cuban embargo even though he is of Cuban descent. In the 2008 crisis, he opposed the bailout for General Motors as well as Wall Street. His passions for democracy are shown through his support for individual rights, promoting economic prosperity, and having a very strong national defense in areas such as the military.
References:
https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/about-mario/biography
https://ballotpedia.org/Florida%27s_25th_Congressional_District
http://www.nndb.com/people/939/000036831/
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