1. Mike Haridopolos previously served in the Florida Senate and was President of the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2012.
28 Facts About Mike Haridopolos
1. 2.
Mike Haridopolos served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2003.
3.
In 2024, Mike Haridopolos was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 8th congressional district, an open seat following incumbent Bill Posey's decision not to seek reelection.
4.
Mike Haridopolos was born in Huntington, New York, to his parents Ernie and Georgia Mike Haridopolos.
5.
Mike Haridopolos is the son of a Greek immigrant who served as an FBI agent.
6.
Mike Haridopolos received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stetson University in history and his Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Arkansas.
7.
In 2008, Mike Haridopolos passed on an open Congressional race with the retirement of Congressman Dave Weldon.
8.
Weldon and others asked Mike Haridopolos to run, including the eventual nominee, Bill Posey.
9.
Mike 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.
10.
In both 2006 and 2010, Mike Haridopolos was re-elected without opposition to the Florida Senate.
11.
Mike Haridopolos actively supported conservative candidates throughout the state in the 2006,2008, and 2010 election cycles.
12.
Mike Haridopolos was sworn in as Senate President on November 16,2010, for a two-year term.
13.
Mike Haridopolos presided over the largest Republican majority since Reconstruction.
14.
Mike Haridopolos is a co-founder of the Freedom Caucus, which has signed Americans 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.
15.
Mike Haridopolos sought the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent US Senator Bill Nelson in 2012.
16.
On July 18,2011, Mike Haridopolos released a campaign video stating that he would no longer seek the nomination for the 2012 US Senate seat, effectively ending his campaign.
17.
Mike Haridopolos dropped out of the campaign in July 2011 in order to focus on his position as President of the Florida Senate.
18.
In 2005, Mike Haridopolos supported a claim from Wilton Dedge that he had been convicted and wrongfully imprisoned for 22 years.
19.
Mike Haridopolos was exonerated by DNA testing in August 2004.
20.
In 2012, Mike Haridopolos helped pass two claims bills to compensate victims of wrongful imprisonment.
21.
Mike Haridopolos was compensated $1.35 million by the Florida Legislature.
22.
Mike Haridopolos was compensated $10.75 million for ongoing medical care.
23.
In 2019, Mike Haridopolos co-authored The 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.
24.
Mike Haridopolos continued to teach at the University of Florida after he left the Florida Senate.
25.
Mike Haridopolos is active in both the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Republican Governors Association.
26.
When incumbent Republican Bill Posey announced his retirement in in April of 2024, Mike Haridopolos quickly announced he was running to succeed him and consolidated Republican support.
27.
Mike Haridopolos was sworn into the 119th United States Congress on January 3,2025.
28.
Mike Haridopolos is married to Stephanie and the couple have three children.