Salazar wins Miami-area House race after narrow recount

Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar has won re-election in Florida’s 27th Congressional District after a recount left her 1,086 votes ahead of Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, according to projections by NBC News and CBS News. The narrow result follows a campaign in which Salazar publicly challenged President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in a heavily Hispanic district he carried by 15 points in 2024.

The machine recount, automatically triggered under Florida law, ended Tuesday, one week after Election Day. CBS News reported that it lasted about 18 hours and changed the candidates’ margins little. Florida is set to certify the results Nov. 17.

“The recount is over, and my victory has been reaffirmed,” Salazar wrote on social media. Thanking Republicans, Democrats and independents who supported her, she added: “This victory sends a message beyond Miami: We prevailed because we LISTENED.”

The margin marks a sharp change from 2024, when Salazar won re-election by nearly 20 percentage points. She has represented the Miami-area seat since 2021, after defeating Democrat Donna Shalala in 2020.

The race drew national attention in September when Salazar released a campaign ad criticizing Trump’s deportation policy. She said many Hispanic voters felt “betrayed” and that enforcement tactics had “gone too far,” with many deportations targeting people without criminal records. Trump amplified social media posts calling her a “backstabber” and urging Republicans to replace her as their candidate, NBC News reported, but he did not formally withdraw his endorsement.

Rodriguez, a former local television news anchor, sought to turn that rift to his advantage. He said Salazar had become “so politically toxic that now even Daddy Trump appears to be distancing himself from his problem child.” CBS News reported that Rodriguez entered politics this year after nearly five decades in television news, including 25 years at CBS News Miami.

The recount also brought a court fight. Rodriguez sued Miami-Dade County election supervisor Alina García, arguing that she should step aside because she appeared to favor Salazar. He cited García’s statement to The Miami Herald that “Maria Elvira is the winner, with or without a recount.” NBC News reported that Rodriguez also raised concerns that García’s son-in-law was representing Salazar during the recount.

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit Monday, allowing García to continue her duties. NBC News reported that the judge called her remarks “perhaps unwise” but found Rodriguez’s allegations insufficient to remove her. CBS News reported that the judge called the comment “stupid.” García later said there were “no conflicts of interest” and that the lawsuit was “without merit.”

The district covers parts of Miami and nearby communities, including Coral Gables, Kendall, Key Biscayne and Pinecrest. Miami-Dade has more than 130,000 pending removal cases, the most of any U.S. county, according to NBC News. Its report said Salazar’s district includes working-class, largely Hispanic neighborhoods as well as some of the nation’s wealthiest ZIP codes.