Son of Cuban emigrants, raised in a Catholic family. In 1989, he graduated from South Miami Senior High School. He then attended the University of Florida and the University of Miami, where he earned his law degree in 1993.
His political career began in his hometown, Miami, where he was elected in 1998 to the West Miami City Commission.
In January 2000, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, and between 2007 and 2009, he served as the spokesman for the parliament. In 2010, he joined the United States Senate.
In 2012, he was a campaign partner of presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
In April 2015, he announced his candidacy for the 2016 United States presidential elections. The official announcement took place at the Freedom Tower in Miami. In this way, he became the third Republican candidate and the first of Cuban origin.
A staunch defender of the traditional family model, he has publicly expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion, as well as his disagreement with Obama's stance and management regarding Cuba.
