Salazar race triggers automatic recount
Miami-Dade officials confirmed a 0.46 percent margin in Florida's 27th District, forcing a machine recount before Saturday.
By Grace Anderson ·
Florida’s 27th Congressional District race between Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar and Democrat Eliott Rodríguez ended in a margin of 0.46 percent. The narrow gap triggered an automatic recount of machine-tallied votes in Miami-Dade County.
Alina García, the county’s supervisor of elections, announced the threshold in a press conference on Wednesday. Florida state law mandates an automatic machine recount when the difference between candidates is below 0.50 percent. The current count places Salazar ahead of Rodríguez by that specific amount.
García noted that a manual recount is required if the final margin drops to 0.25 percent or less. The process is not yet complete. Officials are still reviewing outstanding ballots, including 202 mail-in votes. The recount will not begin until Saturday.
The contest drew national attention due to the candidates' shared background as Cuban-origin journalists. Salazar is seeking a fourth consecutive term in the U.S. House of Representatives. For Rodríguez, the race represents a first entry into elected politics.
The dynamic shifted in September when Salazar, a loyal ally of President Donald Trump, publicly distanced herself from the administration. She stated that some of the president’s immigration measures had gone too far and left Hispanic voters feeling betrayed. Trump responded by saying he still supported her re-election but claimed she was not as firm on border issues as he was. On Friday, he posted on Truth Social that he gave her his full and total backing.
Rodríguez has maintained a sharp critique of the Trump administration’s immigration policy. Following the initial results, neither candidate celebrated a definitive victory. Salazar’s event in Key Biscayne featured a mood of optimism among her supporters. At his own event, Rodríguez’s team adopted a more cautious stance.
Salazar won this district in 2024 with 60.4 percent of the vote. The 27th District covers parts of Miami-Dade County, including the city of Miami. Nearly three-quarters of Miami’s residents are Hispanic. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump carried that city by a margin of approximately 15 points.
