About
Brian Mast (R-Fla.) has served Florida’s 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. After redistricting, he ran for reelection in the 21st District in 2022—with Trump’s endorsement—and won.
From 2000–11, Mast served in the Army, earning several medals and losing both legs in attempting to deactivate an improvised explosive device while deployed in Afghanistan. He then went on to work with the Department of Homeland Security, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
During his 2020 reelection campaign, Mast was widely criticized in Florida media outlets for joking about sex with minors in social media posts. In a comment he made about a photo of his campaign manager’s trip to South Africa, he wrote, “im so proud of you… i hope you hook up with at least fifteen 15 year olds over there…. its legal there right.”
After the 2020 presidential election, Mast adhered to the GOP playbook by helping to spread the Big Lie and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the process. He voted against certifying Biden’s Electoral College win, impeaching Trump for inciting the mob, and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures.
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Mast joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election.
- Mast accused Democrats of hypocrisy for supporting criminal charges against Jan. 6 rioters while failing to condemn people who protested against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Bret Kavanaugh and Black Lives Matter activists who allegedly attacked Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
- Mast voted against impeaching Trump for his role in instigating the attack on Congress and the Capitol, and for fanning the flames once the riot broke out. The day before the vote, he released a statement blaming Trump’s lawyer Rudy Guiliani for making incendiary comments that induced violence on Jan. 6, but said that the president’s actions met neither the threshold for impeachment nor invocation of the 25th Amendment.
- Mast voted against establishing a House committee to investigate what led to the violent assault on the Capitol and disruption of the congressional procedure underway that day.
The Big Lie
- Mast initially refused to acknowledge that Biden had won the election and supported Trump’s legal challenges, saying on Nov. 10, 2020, “I think you have a lot going on in the courts…. And the courts need to have their opportunity to go out there and make their determinations on anything going on in each state.”
- On Jan. 3, 2021, Mast announced that he would vote against certification of the 2020 Electoral College results, claiming that “millions of Americans have important questions about voter fraud, but Congress refuses to conduct an investigation.”
Top contributors for the 2024 election cycle.
The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
| Organization Name | Total | PACs | Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Israel Public Affairs Cmte | $196,861.00 | $10,000.00 | $186,861.00 |
| NextGen Management | $19,800.00 | $0.00 | $19,800.00 |
| Investments Ltd | $13,200.00 | $0.00 | $13,200.00 |
| Trident Capital | $13,200.00 | $0.00 | $13,200.00 |
| Carlyle Group | $11,500.00 | $9,000.00 | $2,500.00 |
| Hispanic Leadership Trust | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Kratos Defense & Security Solutions | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Mr Southern Missourian in the House | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Operating Engineers Union | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| GuideWell | $9,000.00 | $9,000.00 | $0.00 |