Lincoln Diaz-Balart and His Brother Mario Arrange a Transfer of Power
In an announcement scheduled for about an hour from now, Lincoln Diaz-Balart is expected to announce that he will retire, choosing not to seek re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives this year. Rumors assert that Lincoln’s brother, Mario Diaz-Balart, will run to take Lincoln’s place in the House of Representatives.
Mario currently represents the 25th congressional district in Florida, which is geographically adjacent to Lincoln’s 21st district, but much less urban in character. Mario represents a large number of alligators in a large district that includes the Everglades. Lincoln’s district rambles through the western suburbs of Miami.
Politically, the two brothers are very similar. For the current session of Congress, Lincoln Diaz-Balart has earned a progressive rating of 14 percent, and a conservative rating of 21 percent. Mario Diaz-Balart earned a progressive rating of 14 percent and a conservative rating of 26 percent. Both are Republicans, voting every now and then for a piece of Democratic legislation. They support conservative legislation a good amount of the time, but don’t stick out their necks in order to do so.
The fundraising profiles of Mario and Lincoln aren’t quite the same though. Mario relies much more on political action committees for donations: 53 percent of his 2010 election donations so far, as opposed to Lincoln’s 36 percent. If the Republicans of the 21st district accept Mario as successor to Lincoln Diaz-Balart, they’ll be supporting a candidate who represents corporate interests more than was the case under his brother’s terms in office.
