Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Infobox_Congressman
name = Lincoln Diaz-Balart


date of birth = birth date and age|1954|08|13
place of birth = Havana, Cuba
state = Florida
district = 21st
term_start = January 3, 1993
preceded = None (District created after the 1990 census)
succeeded = Incumbent
religion = Roman Catholic
party = Republican
spouse = Cristina Fernandez
children = Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Daniel Diaz-Balart
occupation= attorney
alma_mater= New College of Florida, Case Western Reserve University
residence= Miami, Florida
website = http://www.lincolndiazbalart.org

Lincoln Rafael Diaz-Balart (born Lincoln Rafael Diaz-Balart y Caballero on August 13 1958), a Cuban-American politician, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Senate, and since 1993 has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing ushr|Florida|21| ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/fl21_109.gifmap] ). The district includes a small portion of northern Miami, along with several of Miami's northeastern suburbs.

Early life and education

He was born in Havana, Cuba. He was educated at [http://www.asmadrid.org/ American School of Madrid] , Madrid, Spain; New College of Florida; Cambridge University; and Case Western Reserve University, from which he earned a law degree.

Family

Diaz-Balart is the son of the late Cuban 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.

Diaz-Balart is married to Cristina Fernandez, and has two children: Lincoln and Daniel. His brother, Mario Diaz-Balart, is also a congressman, representing the 25th district of Florida. He has two other brothers, Jose Diaz-Balart, a journalist and Rafael Diaz-Balart, a banker.

First run at public office

In 1982, he ran for a Florida House of Representatives seat for District 113 as a Democrat and lost to the Republican, Humberto Cortina. [The Miami Herald; "Emotions Racing in Little Havana", October 31, 1982] In that campaign he supported new taxes and many of his contributions came from labor and political action committees. [The Miami Herald, "Latin Opponents Take Traditional Party Stands" by Elizabeth Morgan, October 10,1982] In that race Diaz-Balart raised $43,970 against Cortina's $29,130. 53% of the voters were registered Democrats and only 37% were Republican. [The Miami Herald, "Latin Opponents Take Traditional Party Stands" by Elizabeth Morgan, October 10,1982] In that race, Diaz-Balart stated that he is opposed to any legislation to ban abortion. [The Miami Herald, "Latin Opponents Take Traditional Party Stands" by Elizabeth Morgan, October 10,1982]

witches parties

Diaz-Balart as well as his immediate family were all members of the Democratic Party. Diaz-Balart was the former president of the Dade County Young Democrats and the Florida Young Democrats, as well as a member of the Dade County Democrat Executive Party. [The Miami Herald," Latin Opponents Take Traditional Party Stands" by Elizabeth Morgan, October 10,1982] On April 24, 1985, Diaz-Balart along with his wife and brother Mario switched their registration to Republican. [El Nuevo Herald, Diaz-Balart Se Pasa Al Partido Republicano, April 24, 1985]

Florida State Legislature

Diaz Balart served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1986-1989 and served in the Florida Senate from August 29, 1989 until elected to US Congress in 1992.

Congress

In 1992, Diaz-Balart defeated fellow State Senator Javier Souto in the Republican primary for the newly created 21st District. No other party put up a candidate, assuring Diaz-Balart's election. He was unopposed for reelection in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2002 and defeated an underfunded Democrat in 1998.

Congressional Legislation

In general, Diaz-Balart's voting record has been moderate by Republican standards. Over the past two years, he has received scores of 60 from the American Conservative Union (ACU). His lifetime rating from the ACU is 73. [ [http://www.acuratings.org/2007all.htm#FL] ]

He was a sponsor of the Homeland Security Act. He is a sponsor of The American DREAM Act which seeks to facilitate access for immigrant students to post-secondary education by allowing states to have power to determine requirements for in-state tuition. [ [http://diaz-balart.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=111&Month=3&Year=2007 Lincoln Diaz-Balart - United States Congressman ] ] He is also a steadfast proponent of comprehensive immigration reform. He has been a key figure in south Florida bringing millions of dollars to the community most notably one hundred million dollars to the US Southern Command, which is housed in district 21. [citation needed]

Diaz-Balart is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. [ [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04777: Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4777] ]

Cuba

Diaz-Balart plays a prominent role in the Cuban-American lobby, and was active in the failed attempt by relatives of Elian Gonzalez to gain custody of the six year old from his Cuban father. [ [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0001/15/smn.02.html Politicization of Elian Gonzalez Often at Cross-Purposes With Law] . CNN transcripts.] He is a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus.

During his career Diaz-Balart has advocated a naval blockade and military force to be deployed against Cuba, [Ann Louise Bardach. "Cuba confidential". p50] also calling for the U.S. to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro. [ [http://www.cubaupdate.org/cu0404_09.htm Congressman Diaz-Balart Says U.S. Should Consider Assassination of Fidel Castro] . Wayne Smith. CIP senior fellow. March 31, 2004.] Diaz-Balart has defended Velentin Hernández, convicted of murdering Luciano Nieves, a fellow Cuban exile who supported negotiations with the Cuban government, [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58297-2005Apr16.html Our Man's in Miami] . Patriot or Terrorist? Washington Post. April 17, 2005.] and lobbied extensively for the release and pardon of Cuban exile Orlando Bosch, who has been accused of involvement in the 1976 bombing of Cubana Flight 455, which killed 73 people, helping organize an "Orlando Bosch day" to gain support for his release. [ [http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/feature/2002/01/11/reich/index.html?pn=6 The ghost of terror past] . Salon.com.
• [http://www.ciponline.org/cuba/opeds/who%20is%20a%20terrorist.htm Who is a terrorist?] South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Wayne S. Smith. May 31, 2002.
° [http://www.cubaupdate.org/cu0404_09.htm Congressman Diaz-Balart Says U.S. Should Consider Assassination of Fidel Castro] . Wayne Smith. CIP senior fellow. March 31, 2004.
] He also attempted to block Jimmy Carter's visit to the island in 2002. [Ann Louise Bardach. "Cuba confidential". p351. "Ignoring the growls of the Reich team and attempts by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart to block the visit, the Bush administration reluctantly granted approval"
• [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0203/22/cf.00.html Will Jimmy Carter Become First President to Visit Castro in Cuba?] CNN transcripts.
]

Haiti

Diaz-Balart has also been an advocate of the improved treatment of Haitian immigrants [ [http://diaz-balart.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&IssuePosition_id=9 Lincoln Diaz-Balart - United States Congressman ] ] . He was a strong supporter HRIFA, legislation that provided for the legalization of many Haitian immigrants. More recently, Diaz-Balart has called for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to include Haitian nationals. TPS provides immediate and temporary relief from deportation.

Congressional Committee Assignments

*Committee on Rules
**Legislative & Budget Process Subcommittee (Ranking Member)

2004 & 2006 Elections

Both in 2004 and in 2006, Lincoln Diaz-Balart was unsuccessfully challenged by Frank J. Gonzalez [http://www.electfrank.org] , a Libertarian Party candidate in 2004 and Democrat in 2006. In 2004 Diaz-Balart won with 73% of the vote. In 2006, Diaz-Balart won with 59% of the vote.

In 2004, Gonzalez ran for U.S. House as the Libertarian Party candidate and spent around $12,000 and earned 54,736 votes or 27% of the votes.

In 2006, according to FEC reports, Diaz-Balart spent $920,000 while Gonzalez spent $16,000, a 58 to 1 ratio. Gonzalez managed to earn 45,522 votes or 41% according to the Florida Department of State's Division of Elections website.

2008 Election

*seealso|United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2008

Diaz-Balart's Democratic opponent in 2008 is former Hialeah mayor Raul L. Martinez.

On May 22, 2008, Diaz-Balart did not attend a debate hosted by the South Florida AFL-CIO with Martinez due to scheduling and venue issues. [The Miami Herald; "Dade GOP incumbents pull out of debates" by Lesley Clark, May 22, 2008]

As of June 30, 2008, Diaz-Balart has raised in 2007-2008 election cycle $1,551,352 with $1,755,490 cash on hand. [http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/] Martinez during the same cycle has raised $1,219,984 and has $1,079,068 cash on hand. [http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/] According to the Raul Martinez campaign the majority of individual contributions to the Martinez campaign have come from registered Republicans. [http://www.raul2008.com/media/press-release/q2_fund_raising.html]

A July 7 poll conducted by a noted Democratic polster, Sergio Bendixen, showed Diaz-Balart ahead of Martinez by a four point margin, 41 to 37 percent, with 22 percent undecided. David Hill, the Diaz-Balart brothers' pollster, said Lincoln's internal polling shows the congressman with a 12-point lead over Martinez and a "double-digit advantage over his opponent in virtually every significant segment of the electorate." [ http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/43384.html ]

On August 1, 2008, a leading Washington analyst, Rothenberg Political Report, reported that they see a "possible re-election trouble for Lincoln Diaz-Balart". [Sun-Sentinel, "Leading Washington analyst sees possible re-election trouble for Lincoln Diaz-Balart" by Anthony Man; August 1, 2008.] Nonetheless, the most recent Rothenberg Political Report (September 30, 2008) rated the seat as "Pure Toss Up." [ [http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/2008/07/2008-house-ratings_29.html Rothenberg Political Report] , as of 2008-07-29] The Cook Political report [ [http://www.cookpolitical.com/charts/house/competitive.php Cook Political Report] , as of 2008-07-31] and CQ Politics [ [http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=ratings-house CQ Politics] ] have also rated the district as "Leans Republican," while the Crystal Ball has rated the district as "Likely Republican" [ [http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2008/house Crystal Ball] , as of 2008-07-30]

According to the August 14, 2008 Time magazine article, Lincoln Diaz-Balart faces a competitive race. It also said that "Democratic voter registration in Miami-Dade County, as in other places, is up, and Republican registration is down". [Time Magazine, "Big Trouble in Little Havana" by Tim Padgett, August 14, 2008.]

The Mexican leftist newspaper, La Jornada, stated on August 19th, 2008 that "Lincoln Díaz Balart, ... está en grave riesgo de perder su puesto..." ("Lincoln Diaz Balart,... is in great risk to lose his position..."). [http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2008/08/19/index.php?section=mundo&article=056n1mun La Jornada, "Miami: Se Tambalea El Poder Del Exilio Cubano" by David Brooks; August 19, 2008]

On August 25, 2008, Lincoln Diaz-Balart agreed to debate Martinez, at a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce event at noon on October 8 [ [http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/656457.html] ] . On August 26, 2008, Martinez challenged Diaz-Balart to an additional debate, in Colorado. [ The Miami Herald; "Diaz-Balart Jabs on Obama Turf" by Lesley Clark; August 26, 2008, Page 1B [http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/657874.html] ] .

Martinez has continued to request that Diaz-Balart debate him on television but to no avail [August 25, 2008, "A Mano Limpia" America TV] [August 25, 2008, "Maria Elvira Live" on MegaTV ] .

According to a SurveyUSA poll sponsored by Roll Call conducted in August 2008, Martinez was ahead of Diaz-Balart 48 percent to 46 percent among likely voters. The same poll shows the presidential race in this district was dead even, with both Barack Obama and John McCain attracting 48 percent of the vote. Both Democrats have significant leads among independent voters and self-described moderates. [ SurveyUSA Poll [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=ac8793ef-2899-49d0-a960-a1be2ff279b6] ] . The poll revealed that Diaz-Balart enjoys 70% support from Cuban-Americans in the district. The poll's demographics (which were chosen by the pollster in 2008) are different from those of the district (based on the US Census of 2000.) 51% of those questioned by the pollster were Hispanic (34% of respondents were Cuban and 17% were non-Cuban). According to the 2000 Census, the percentage of Hispanics in the district is higher at 69.7%. [ http://projects.washingtonpost.com/elections/keyraces/census/fl/district-21/ ]

Position on 2008 "Bailout"

On September 29, 2008, Diaz-Balart voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008cite web|title= Bailout Roll Call | url= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/29/bailout.rollcall.0929.pdf| date= 2008-09-29 Retrieved on September 29, 2008]

References

External links

* [http://diaz-balart.house.gov/ Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart] official U.S. House site
* [http://www.lincolndiazbalart.org Campaign Website]
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Lincoln_Diaz_Balart Profile] at SourceWatch Congresspedia


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