Al Cardenas was born in Havana, Cuba in January 1948. He graduated from Miami Dade Community College, Florida Atlantic University, and earned his JD from Seton Hall University. Cardenas is a Republican. He served as the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party from 1999 to 2003. He also served as Chairman of the American Conservative Union from 2011 to 2014. Cardenas is a partner in the law firm Squire Patton Boggs. He is also a  partner in the Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners and a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida A&M University. At the beginning of the Ronald Reagan administration he was responsible for the transition of the United States Department of Commerce. Al Cardenas married Ana Navarro in 2019.