Mario Diaz-Balart

The Arc

Mario Diaz-Balart was born in 1961 into the Diaz-Balart family, which left Cuba after the revolution. He served in both chambers of the Florida legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, taking office in 2003. He has been reelected to multiple terms representing South Florida districts.

In Congress he has worked extensively on appropriations and has remained, like his brother Lincoln, closely associated with U.S. policy toward Cuba and Latin America. He is among the longest-serving members of Florida's congressional delegation.

Why They Matter

Mario Diaz-Balart's long tenure makes him a continuing fixture of Miami's exile-rooted political establishment in Washington. Together with his brother Lincoln, he forms the congressional core of the Diaz-Balart political family, a clear example of how the Cuban exile wave produced durable national political careers anchored in South Florida and Little Havana.

Neighborhoods: Little Havana Related dynasties / people: The Diaz-Balart Family / Lincoln Diaz-Balart