Salazar Holds Florida District 27 Seat After 1,086-Vote Margin

Maria Elvira Salazar won reelection to Florida's U.S. House District 27 on Tuesday. NBC News projected her victory after a two-day recount process concluded. The final tally showed Salazar ahead of her Democratic challenger, Eliott Rodriguez, by 1,086 votes.

Unofficial results listed 124,519 votes for the Republican incumbent. Rodriguez received 123,433 votes. These figures placed Salazar at 50.2% of the total and Rodriguez at 49.8%. The narrow gap required a full recount of the ballots.

Workers at Miami-Dade Elections headquarters processed close to 250,000 ballots through the night to verify the count. The intense workload reflected the high level of competition in this specific congressional seat. The recount confirmed the initial margin of victory.

Salazar claimed the win in a statement released Tuesday evening. She addressed her supporters with the brief message: "Thank you, Miami!" The tweet also included the Spanish phrase "Gracias, Miami." This direct appeal to her base highlighted the cultural focus of the campaign.

Salazar first entered the U.S. House in 2002. She serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Small Business. Her current term runs until January 3, 2027. She previously worked as a television journalist for NBC Universal’s Telemundo and other Spanish-language stations.

In an interview with NBC6 on Election Night, Salazar identified immigration as the deciding factor in the race. She stated, "It was immigration." She added that this result provides strength to send a specific message to voters about policy priorities.