One of the biggest congressional supporters of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba has announced his retirement.

Republican Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of the largely Hispanic 21st District of Florida will not seek re-election. Diaz-Balart, who has held the seat since 1993, is one of the most senior and vocal supporters of the Cuban embargo.

Mario Diaz-Balart, who is a U.S. Rep. in the 25th District of Florida, said he will run for his brother’s seat in November.

Analysts said Lincoln Diaz-Balart’s retirement and his brother’s switch to the “safer” 21st District “reflected a more moderating shift in the anti-communist Cuban exile community in recent years in favor of greater contacts with Cuba, as opposed to isolation,” according to Reuters.

Democrats are hoping to have a strong contender to oppose Mario Diaz-Balart for the 21st District seat, and have their eye on Joe Garcia, Director of the HYPERLINK “http://diversity.doe.gov/contact_us.htm”Office of Economic Impact and Diversity in the U.S. Energy Department. Garcia ran against Mario Diaz-Balart for the 25th District seat in 2008, garnering 47 of the vote.