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Albio Sires (D-N.J.)

U.S. Representative (since November 2006)

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Why He Matters

Sires, who was born in Cuba, is seen as an authority on Cuban-American relations. He won his House seat in a 2006 special election, and has served the 13th district of New Jersey ever since.

Before coming to Congress, he was an experienced New Jersey pol, having served a long career as a mayor, and the first Latino speaker of the state Assembly. But he raised some eyebrows, and objections to his appointment as speaker, because of his history of party switching from Democrat to Republican and back again.

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Albio Sires (D-N.J.)

U.S. Representative (since November 2006)

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At a Glance

  • Career History: U.S. House of Representatives (2006 - present); New Jersey State Assembly (2000- 2006); Speaker, New Jersey State Assembly (2002-2006); Mayor of West New York, New Jersey (1995-2006)
  • Birthday: Jan. 26, 1951
  • Hometown: Bejucal, Cuba
  • Alma Mater: St. Peter's College, BA 1974; Middlebury College, MA 1985
  • Spouse: Adrienne
  • Religion: Catholic
  • Committees: Transportation and Infrastructure ; Foreign Affairs
 

Path to Power

Sires was a little boy growing up in Cuba when Fidel Castro came to power. His family fled the country a few years later, arriving in the United States in 1962, when Sires was ten.

A self-described high-school jock, Sires earned a basketball scholarship from St. Peter's College in New Jersey. He eventually earned his master's degree from Middlebury College in Vermont. Basketball was his way of making friends when he first arrived in the U.S.

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The Issues

Sires voted with his party 98 percent of the time in the 111th Congress. In January 2009, he became a vice chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the House.

Sires wasn't always a Democrat. After running unsuccessfully three times for mayor of West New York as a Democrat, he briefly switched in 1985 to the Republican Party. He ran for the same post in 1994 as an Independent, and won. In 1998, Sires rejoined the Democratic Party.

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The Network

Sires works closely with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). Sires assumed Menendez's congressional seat after Menendez was named by New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) to fill Corzine's old Senate seat.

As a member of the Congressional Cuban Democracy Caucus, he works closely with Cuban-American lawmakers like Reps. Mario (R-Fla.) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).