Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was born in Miami on May 28, 1971. He earned a B.S. from the University of Florida in 1993 and a J.D. from the University of Miami in 1996. A lawyer by profession, Rubio served on the West Miami City Commission from 1998 to 2000 and was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, holding positions as majority leader (2003–2006) and speaker (2006–2008). Elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 2010, he was reelected in 2016 and 2022, serving from January 3, 2011, until January 20, 2025, when he resigned to become Secretary of State in President Donald J. Trump's Cabinet. He chaired the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship during the 116th Congress and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.