Two Cuban American ex-anchors, one tight race: Salazar and Eliott Rodriguez face off in Florida's 27th District

November 2, 2026

Florida's 27th Congressional District in Miami-Dade votes on Tuesday, November 3, in one of the state's most closely watched races. Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar is seeking a fourth term against Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, and the two share an unusual biography: both were born in the United States to Cuban parents, and both spent years as familiar TV news anchors.

Salazar, 65, worked for CNN, Univision and Telemundo before winning the seat in 2020. Rodriguez, 70, spent 25 years at CBS Miami and retired from journalism in 2025; this is his first run for office. According to Florida Politics, she is campaigning on bipartisan accomplishments, federal money for local projects and her stance toward the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, while he is focusing on cost of living, housing and immigration enforcement.

Polls point to a close finish. A survey taken October 20-23 had Salazar at 49.1% and Rodriguez at 46.4%, within the margin of error, Spain's ABC reported. An N+ Univision/YouGov poll cited by América TeVé found the congresswoman seven points ahead among Latino voters. Forecasters including the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball have moved the race from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican."

Registered Republicans make up about 39% of the district's 394,006 voters, spread across Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, Cutler Bay and other parts of south Miami, where roughly three in four residents are Hispanic. There were no debates: Rodriguez accepted three TV invitations and Salazar's campaign did not respond, while a consultant to her campaign noted that he also skipped a debate with his primary opponent.