Member brief No. FL-26
Reviewed October 31, 2026
FL-26 · Florida
Mario Diaz-Balart
Republican. Trump won Florida in 2024. Not flagged for 2032 redistricting risk.
- Age on Election Day 2028
- 67
- Born September 25, 1961.
- Lean
- R+7
- Lean Republican. Cook PVI, 2026 lines.
- In the House since
- 2003
- Served since January 7, 2003.
- Cash on hand
- $1.68M
- $1,676,213. Reporting period ended October 14, 2026
The 2026 race
- November 3, 2026
- Leads the count
Against Nicole Locklin (D). As of November 5, 2026.
- Primary
- Unopposed
No primary was held.
Also on the November ballot: Deborah Ann Meidinger Hosey (no party affiliation).
Endorsements, 2026
Endorsed: Donald Trump.
None on record: Club for Growth, Turning Point Action, MAHA PAC.
What a race here costs
TV: Miami–Fort Lauderdale, 1.76 million homes. The district is 16.3% of the market.
2026 primary: no primary held
2024 general: $445K spent, $1.45 a vote
In the House, 119th Congress
- Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee
- Chair of the Appropriations subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs
Committees: Appropriations
General-election outcomes
- 2024 vote share
- 70.92%
- Victory margin
- +41.83 pts
- Trump, 2024
- 67.16% · +34.97 pts
Margin 6.87 points above Trump. Vote share 3.75 points above.
2024 election districts. Valid votes; margin over the runner-up. Runner-up: Joey Atkins. Returns · Trump baseline · Method. Reviewed November 5, 2026.
Money, past cycles
| Cycle | Raised | From individuals | Cash at year end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $1.6M | 38% | $933K |
| 2022 | $1.8M | 50% | $1.3M |
| 2024 | $2.4M | 53% | $1.8M |
Scorecards and grades
- Conservative average, out of 100
- 64.8
- Progressive average, out of 100
- 14.5 (LCV 12, Progressive Punch 11, Stop Corruption Now 20)
- IAP Action score, immigration
- 73, rank 208 of 431
- Gun Owners of America grade, 2024
- B-
Read October 4, 2026 from the member’s page on heritageaction.com, clubforgrowth.org, tpaction.com, gopscorecard.limitedgov.org.