He graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and received his associate's degree from Miami Dade Community College, a bachelor's degree from Florida Atlantic University, and his Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University.

[3] He is an alumnus of Florida Atlantic University's Eta Mu chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

He was responsible for the transition of the United States Department of Commerce at the beginning of the Ronald Reagan administration, and was appointed the first U.S. ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983.

[1] During CPAC 2011, Cardenas transitioned into the chairmanship of the American Conservative Union, with then-chairman David Keene's retirement.

[6] Cardenas was a senior adviser and fundraiser for the Jeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign until it was suspended.