The race for Florida’s 27th Congressional District is headed to an automatic machine recount after Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez finished separated by less than half a percentage point. Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia said the margin stands at 0.46 percentage points, just inside Florida’s 0.5-point threshold.
If the gap narrows to 0.25 points or less, a manual recount would be required, Garcia said. Election officials are still reviewing hundreds of ballots. In a statement, she said 202 vote-by-mail ballots in the district are going through the signature-curing process, and voters have until 5 p.m. Thursday to resolve any signature problems. Provisional ballots cast during early voting and on Election Day are also under review.
The district includes parts of Miami, Coral Gables, Kendall, Key Biscayne and Pinecrest. Salazar has held the seat since 2021, and Rodriguez, a former CBS News Miami anchor, spent 25 years at the station before launching his campaign in March.
Immigration and affordability dominated the race. Rodriguez called for more federal money for affordable and workforce housing and criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Salazar backed stronger border security and changes that would give legal status to some long-term undocumented immigrants. She has publicly challenged some of the administration’s enforcement efforts, though Trump endorsed her reelection.
The outcome will determine whether Salazar wins another term or Democrats flip the seat. The final result remains undecided.
