Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero

Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero was born on September 25, 1961, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, into a well-known family of Cuban origin. He is the brother of former congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart and journalist José Díaz-Balart, and a nephew of Mirta Díaz-Balart. He attended the University of South Florida.

A Republican, he served in the Florida Legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. Since 2023 he has represented Florida's 26th congressional district, which covers much of northwestern Miami-Dade County, including the city of Hialeah, and part of the Everglades.

He is one of the best-known Cuban-American voices in Congress on policy toward Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua and on immigration issues affecting South Florida's Cuban community, where he works alongside fellow representatives María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez.