Carter Soto

Carter Soto (born December 14, 1972) is an American politician who is the 45th Governor of Florida since 2011. He was previously the United States Representative from Florida's 25th congressional district from 2005 to 2011 and Mayor of Hialeah, Florida from 2001 to 2005. He was the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2016.

Early life and early career
Carter Soto was was born on December 14, 1972 in Hialeah, Florida to Cuban immigrant parents Raúl Soto and Ileana Robaina. He has lived his entire life in Miami-Dade County, earning his bachelor's degree and law degree at the University of Miami in 1994 and 1997. He worked as a legislative aide to then-State Senator Miguel Morelos from 1996 to 2000 before running for the mayorship of his hometown of Hialeah in 2001. As mayor he strengthened the city’s reputation as a significant commercial center in Miami-Dade County. Mayor Soto also lobbied for and achieved a $40–$90 Million restoration project on the Hialeah Park Race Track and renovated the 10,000 seat football stadium. The restoration project was criticized for its potential to hurt Hialeah Park's status as a National Historic Landmark. Soto unsuccessfully attempted to expand the Opa Locka Airport. He was criticized during his mayoralty for underfunding Miami-Dade County Public Schools to promote charter schools such as Mater Academy Charter High.

United States House of Representatives
Mayor Soto declined to run for a second term in 2005 instead deciding to run for Florida's 25th congressional district in the 2004 elections. He was reelected with 58% of the vote in 2006 and with 53% of the vote in 2008. He voted for the bipartisan Energy Security, Affordability, and Reliability Act of 2006. Although Congressman Soto supported increased domestic oil and natural gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and additional oil exploration in the outer continental shelf. He opposed the National Healthcare Act of 2010 that failed in the Republican-controlled House that passed in the Democrat-controlled Senate. During his tenure he was criticized for earmarks to fund projects in his congressional district and to support donors in the business community.

Governor of Florida
Congressman Soto ran for Governor of Florida in 2010 defeating Democratic nominee, Mayor of Orlando Karen Langford by 49%–48%. Soto became the Governor of Florida on January 4, 2011. One month later, on February 16, 2011, he proposed a $2.3 billion plan to expand Miami International Airport which was criticized by environmentalists. Governor Soto also signed a bill requiring those seeking welfare under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to submit to drug screenings. In 2013, he signed bills implementing the licensed open-carrying of firearms, the ability of colleges to choose whether to permit firearms, and the expansion of Florida's stand-your-ground law. This greatly increased his support amongst gun rights activists. He was elected in 2014 by 48%–47%.

During his second term he signed a bill to speed up and overhaul the processes for capital punishment in Florida. He also worked with both Republican and Democratic members of the state legislature in 2015 and 2016 to passed a bipartisan immigration bill that limits access by undocumented immigrants to public benefits while working towards a pathway to citizenship. He was praised for his work across the aisle by advocates of comprehensive immigration reform from both parties but was criticized by conservative Republicans and other immigration hawks. In response to these criticisms he stated, “I am the son of immigrants and I know that these poor souls, especially the children should not be forced to live their current hell and be denied the American Dream. I simply ask that once they arrive here they achieve this dream with their own hardwork and without government coddling and handholding”.

2016 Vice Presidential Campaign
Governor Soto was on the 2016 Republican vice presidential shortlist alongside Republican presidential runner-up, Senator Todd Kirkpatrick of Oklahoma and Senator Bruce Owens III of Nebraska. On July 15, Soto was chosen to be the vice presidential running mate of Republican presidential nominee, Missouri Governor Don Delaney. He was officially nominated at the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016. During Soto's preparations for the vice presidential debate in October 2016, his longtime communications director Eddie Gomez played the role of Democratic vice presidential nominee, Jon Herrera. During the debate, Governor Soto was criticized for being too aggressive and interrupting. The Hollis–Herrara ticket defeated the Delaney–Soto ticket, winning both the popular vote by 51%–47% and the electoral college, by 297–241.

Speculation for higher office
Governor Soto was considered a potential successor or primary challenger to incumbent Republican Senator Charles "Bud" Walker in 2018 both before and following his 2016 vice presidential candidacy. This is largely because of Soto’s popularity and the fact that he is term-limited as governor following the 2018 election. Senator Walker is running for reelection to a third term and Governor Soto has announced he will not challenge Walker. Due to Soto’s status as the 2016 Republican vice presidential nominee he is seen as the frontrunner for the presidential nomination in 2020.