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Mike Haridopolos | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's8th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Posey |
| President of the Florida Senate | |
| In office November 16, 2010 – November 20, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Jeff Atwater |
| Succeeded by | Don Gaetz |
| Member of theFlorida Senate from the 26th district | |
| In office March 25, 2003 – November 20, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Futch |
| Succeeded by | Bill Galvano |
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives from the 30th district | |
| In office November 21, 2000 – March 25, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Futch |
| Succeeded by | Thad Altman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael John Haridopolos (1970-03-15)March 15, 1970 (age 55) Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Stephanie Haridopolos |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Stetson University (BA) University of Arkansas (MA) |
| Website | Campaign Website |
Michael John Haridopolos[1] (born March 15, 1970) is an American politician, consultant, and educator currently serving as theU.S. representative fromFlorida's 8th congressional district. He previously served in the Florida Senate and was President of theFlorida Senate from 2010 to 2012. He also served in theFlorida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2003.
In2024, Haridopolos was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 8th congressional district, an open seat following incumbentBill Posey's decision not to seek reelection.[2]
Haridopolos was born inHuntington, New York, to his parents Ernie and Georgia Haridopolos. He is the son of a Greek immigrant who served as an FBI agent.[3] He received his Bachelor of Arts degree fromStetson University in history and his Master of Arts degree in history from theUniversity of Arkansas.[4]
Haridopolos taught United States History and Political Science atBrevard Community College—nowEastern Florida State College—starting in 1993.[5]
Beginning in 2007, Haridopolos taught classes as an instructor at theBob Graham Center at theUniversity of Florida.[6]
In 2000, Haridopolos won an open seat in the Florida House, after winning a six-way Republican primary by over 30 percentage points and later won the November general election 65-35%.[7][8] He won the 2002 Republican primary following re-apportionment with over 82% of the vote and was re-elected to the Florida House with 79% of the vote in the general election.[9][10]
In January 2003, State Senator Howard Futch passed away, and a special election was called in order to elect a new senator. Haridopolos won the Republican Party primary with 84% of the vote, and he won 63% of the vote in the general election to win the remainder of the four-year senate term.[11][12]
In 2008, Haridopolos passed on an open Congressional race with the retirement of Congressman Dave Weldon. Weldon and others asked Haridopolos to run, including the eventual nominee and now CongressmanBill Posey.[13] Haridopolos endorsed Posey. Posey went on to win both the Republican primary and general election.[14] Haridopolos said that he wanted to focus on his likely role as Senate President and continue his push to make the Florida Senate more conservative.
In both 2006 and 2010, Haridopolos was re-elected without opposition to the Florida Senate. Haridopolos actively supported conservative candidates throughout the state in the 2006, 2008, and 2010 election cycles.[15] In the Florida Senate, Haridopolos served as Majority Whip from 2006 to 2008 and, in 2009, was elected President of the Senate.[4] He was sworn in as Senate President on November 16, 2010, for a two-year term. He presided over the largest Republican majority (28-12) since Reconstruction.[16] Before being sworn in, Haridopolos made headlines when he removed the doors from his Senate office, making a pledge to be transparent and accessible during his term as President.[17]
Haridopolos is a co-founder of theFreedom Caucus, which has signedAmericans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge to "oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes" every year before the Legislature goes into session.[18]
He sought the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. SenatorBill Nelson in2012.[19][20] TheWashington Post identified him as "one of the state Republican Party's rising stars".[21] On July 18, 2011, Haridopolos released a campaign video stating that he would no longer seek the nomination for the 2012 U.S. Senate seat, effectively ending his campaign.[22]
His candidacy received a number of endorsements, including formerArkansas GovernorMike Huckabee,U.S. CongressmanConnie Mack,CFOJeff Atwater, andAgriculture CommissionerAdam Putnam.[23][24][25] He dropped out of the campaign in July 2011 in order to focus on his position as President of the Florida Senate.[26]
During his first term as Senate President, he oversaw the balancing of the state's budget which suffered a $4 billion shortfall.[27]
That same year, the Senate also passed more than $300 million in tax relief, including a measure that effectively eliminates the corporate income tax burden for nearly half the roughly 30,000 Florida businesses that currently pay the tax; reformed Florida's entitlement programs, including the state's pension, welfare and Medicaid systems; reformed the state's education system; tightened regulations on unauthorized sales of habit-forming drugs; and reformed the state's growth management laws.[citation needed]
In 2005, Haridopolos supported a claim from Wilton Dedge that he had been convicted andwrongfully imprisoned for 22 years. He was exonerated byDNA testing in August 2004. The claim bill, which awarded Dedge $2 million in compensation, passed in the Florida Legislature during a special session in 2005.[28] In 2010, he began to pursue the creation of an innocence commission. The commission sought to review cases where Floridians were possibly falsely imprisoned.[29]
In 2012, Haridopolos helped pass two claims bills to compensate victims of wrongful imprisonment. One was a claim for William Dillon, who had been wrongfully incarcerated for 27 years. He was exonerated after DNA testing. He was compensated $1.35 million by the Florida Legislature.[30] The other was for Eric Brody, who sufferedcatastrophic injuries after being struck by a police cruiser in 1999. He was compensated $10.75 million for ongoing medical care.[31]
At the close of the 2012 Legislative Session, a News Service of Florida story noted that "Two lives may be changed for the better by the cash, a long-lasting effect of Haridopolos' persistence."[32]
In 2019, Haridopolos co-authoredThe Modern Republican Party in Florida with Peter Dunbar, which chronicles the rise of the Republican Party in Florida from the 1950s through the 2018 elections.[33] He continued to teach at theUniversity of Florida after he left the Florida Senate.[34]
He owns and operates MJH Consulting. He has been a lobbyist in Florida.[35] He is also active in both the National Republican Senatorial Committee and theRepublican Governors Association.[citation needed]
When incumbent RepublicanBill Posey announced his retirement inFlorida's 8th congressional district in April of 2024, Haridopolos quickly announced he was running to succeed him and consolidated Republican support.[2] He was elected with 62% of the vote in November 2024.
Rep. Haridopolos was sworn into the119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025.
For the 119th Congress:[36]
Haridopolos is married to Stephanie and the couple have three children.[37]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 6,155 | 47.8% | |
| Republican | Peter DiLavore | 2,176 | 16.9% | |
| Republican | John Tobia | 1,298 | 10.1% | |
| Republican | Christopher Muro | 1,219 | 9.5% | |
| Republican | Janet Simpson Bonder | 1,186 | 9.2% | |
| Republican | Mary Jane Nail | 833 | 6.5% | |
| Total votes | 12,867 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 43,062 | 64.6% | |
| Democratic | Rajiv Chandra | 23,595 | 35.4% | |
| Total votes | 66,657 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos (incumbent) | 11,251 | 82.4% | |
| Republican | Steve Sherbin | 2,398 | 17.6% | |
| Total votes | 13,649 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos (incumbent) | 40,319 | 79.1% | |
| Green | Tim Doyle | 10,651 | 20.9% | |
| Total votes | 50,970 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 13,232 | 84.1% | |
| Republican | Mary Beth Fitzgibbons | 2,499 | 15.9% | |
| Total votes | 15,731 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 19,643 | 63.1% | |
| Democratic | Donna Hart | 11,498 | 36.9% | |
| Total votes | 31,141 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 61,710 | 72.1 | |
| Republican | John Hearton | 18,604 | 21.7 | |
| Republican | Joe Babits(withdrawn) | 5,250 | 6.1 | |
| Total votes | 85,564 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Haridopolos | 280,352 | 62.24 | ||
| Democratic | Sandy Kennedy | 170,096 | 37.76 | ||
| Total votes | 450,448 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Florida House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Howard Futch | Member of theFlorida House of Representatives from the 30th district 2000–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Florida Senate | ||
| Preceded by Howard Futch | Member of theFlorida Senate from the 26th district 2003–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Florida Senate 2010–2012 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 15th congressional district 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 396th | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
