U.S. House, District 27
Represents Florida's 27th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; votes on federal laws and spending. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Roster from CBS Miami, Local 10 and WLRN post-primary reports: Maria Elvira Salazar (R) vs. Eliott Rodriguez (D). No NPA candidate identified; absence unconfirmed.
Debates and forums
- None · Newsweek reports Salazar has declined the three debates Rodriguez's campaign proposed (two in English, one in Spanish). No debate.
María Elvira Salazar (R), Eliott Rodriguez (D)
Candidates
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Maria Elvira Salazar
Maria Elvira Salazar, a former television journalist, has represented the 27th District since January 2021. She is the lead Republican sponsor of the bipartisan Dignity Act immigration bill (H.R. 4393, reintroduced July 2025 with Rep. Veronica Escobar). She won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary with 81.3% of the vo…
Eliott Rodriguez
Eliott Rodriguez, 69, is a retired broadcast journalist who anchored at CBS News Miami for 25 years after nearly five decades in journalism; he was born in New York to Cuban immigrant parents. He left the station and announced his candidacy in March 2026, reported raising $312,000 in his first 21 days, and won the Aug…
Side-by-side on the major issues
AgreeDiffer a littleDiffer stronglyNot enough data· hover for details, click to jump to the row
Taxes & spendingHousing affordabilityImmigrationAbortionGunsHealth careSocial Security & MedicareEducation & school choiceEnvironment & waterElections & votingCrime & policingGender identity lawsEnergy & utilitiesTariffs & tradeUkraineTrump administrationVeterans
Where the candidates in this race split, issue by issue.
Strongly agreesLeans agreeMixed / neutralLeans disagreeStrongly disagreesNo public position found
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Maria Elvira Salazar Republican | Eliott Rodriguez Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· based on record Salazar voted for H.R. 1 (2025), calling it 'a historic win' with 'game-changing tax relief for working families,' including extended tax cuts and no tax on tips and overtime. | Leans disagree· stated position Would ask the wealthiest Americans to contribute more to keep Social Security strong. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Would convert underused federal land to affordable housing and expand workforce-housing incentives. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Leans disagree· stated position In her first general-election ad and in subsequent interviews Salazar said parts of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement have gone too far, citing reports that more than half of about 50,000 people ICE arrested in July had no criminal conviction or pending charge. She said she is not calling for amnesty. On 'Face the Nation' on Sept. 20 she said she had spoken with the President about the effects of enforcement in South Florida. | Leans disagree· stated position Supports a secure border and removal of genuine threats while protecting Dreamers and long-rooted families. |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Leans disagree· based on record Voted for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 21), the 2025 bill setting criminal penalties for providers who fail to care for an infant born alive after an attempted abortion; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward more abortion restrictions. | Strongly agrees· stated position Rodriguez campaigned on protecting abortion rights. |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | Leans disagree· stated position In Vote Smart's candidate survey Salazar said 'I 100% support the 2nd Amendment'; no position on specific measures such as red-flag laws was found. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would restore the assault-weapons ban and require universal background checks and safe storage. |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Leans disagree· based on record Salazar voted for H.R. 1 (2025), which Democrats said would cost about 99,000-100,000 people in her district Medicaid or ACA coverage per CBO projections; her opponent also says she voted against restoring ACA subsidies. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would protect Medicaid and ACA coverage and let people 55 to 64 buy into Medicare. |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | Leans agree· based on record Voted for the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), the 2024 law repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, raising benefits for some public-sector retirees. | Strongly agrees· stated position Opposes privatization, benefit cuts and raising the retirement age. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Rodriguez campaigned on addressing climate change and safeguarding South Florida's environment; specific proposals were not captured. |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Leans disagree· based on record Salazar voted for the SAVE Act (H.R. 22, April 2025), which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote (passed 220-208 with every voting Republican in favor). | Leans agree· stated position Would defend free and fair elections and voting rights. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· based on record Voted for the Protecting Our Nation's Capital Emergency Act (H.R. 2096), the 2025 bill repealing parts of the District of Columbia police-accountability law; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward tougher policing. | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | Leans agree· based on record Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (H.R. 28), the 2025 bill barring transgender girls and women from female school sports under Title IX; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward keeping restrictions in place. | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Leans disagree· based on record Voted for the Protecting American Energy Production Act (H.R. 26), the 2025 bill barring a presidential moratorium on hydraulic fracturing without an act of Congress; a vote for it is coded as leaning toward fossil-fuel production. | Leans agree· stated position Would expand cleaner energy while protecting affordability and reliability. |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Rodriguez opposes the administration's tariffs, describing them as part of an 'anti-consumer agenda' that raises costs. |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | Strongly agrees· based on record Salazar voted for the $60.8 billion Ukraine Security Supplemental (H.R. 8035, April 2024), one of five Florida Republicans to do so. | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Salazar publicly urged the President to change course on immigration enforcement and said Hispanic voters who backed him feel betrayed, while saying she was warning rather than attacking him. On 'Face the Nation' on Sept. 20 she described a 'very good conversation' with him. Trump said on Sept. 26-27 that he disagreed with her and reposted about a dozen messages criticizing her. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Rodriguez frames his campaign as a challenge to 'Salazar and the Trump Republicans,' opposing the administration's deportation crackdown and tariffs. |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
RepublicanDemocratic· photo or initials inside each bubble · hover or tap for details
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Elvira Salazar | 0.75 (4 statements) | 0.57 (7 statements) |
| Eliott Rodriguez | -1.50 (6 statements) | -1.50 (6 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Maria Elvira Salazar
- Dignity Act immigration reform — Lead sponsor of H.R. 4393, which pairs border enforcement with earned legal status (not citizenship) for long-term undocumented immigrants; PolitiFact examined claims that it is 'mass amnesty,' and some Republican colleagues have attacked it.
- Deferred action for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans — She asked the administration for deferred action after humanitarian parole and TPS were revoked.
- Small business — NFIB and the U.S. Chamber endorsed her as a small-business 'champion.'
- No tax on tips and overtime — She highlighted these provisions of H.R. 1.
- Detention of exiled Nicaraguan journalist — After ICE detained Nicaraguan journalist Luis Chavarria-Galeano in Orlando on Sept. 14, 2026, Salazar said he 'cannot be sent back into the hands of the people who targeted him' and urged the administration to distinguish criminals from political exiles.
- Debates — Salazar has not accepted invitations from Miami TV stations to debate Democratic nominee Eliott Rodriguez; Rodriguez says he accepted.
- Public break with President Trump — After Salazar's ad criticizing immigration enforcement, Trump said from the Oval Office that he disagreed with her and that she 'got a little bit soft on the border,' then on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 26 reposted roughly a dozen Truth Social messages attacking her, some calling for Republicans to find a different candidate for the seat. Salazar had not responded directly as of Sept. 27. Conservative commentators including Tomi Lahren, Mark Levin and Alfonso Aguilar also criticized her.
- Race rating moves — Fox News and Sabato's Crystal Ball both moved the district from 'Likely Republican' to 'Lean Republican' on Sept. 22, and the Cook Political Report did the same on Sept. 25.
- Response to Miami Herald endorsement of opponent — Newsweek reported that Salazar replied on X that a Miami Herald endorsement 'has become the kiss of death for candidates who get it,' and that she has declined the three debates Rodriguez's campaign proposed.
Eliott Rodriguez
- Affordability — Rodriguez has made affordability (cost of living) a central campaign theme, per post-primary coverage.
- Prosecuting corruption — He lists prosecuting corruption among his campaign themes.
- Public education — His platform includes investing in public education.
- Cuba — The son of Cuban immigrants, he has discussed Cuba policy in interviews and was the first journalist to interview dissident Osvaldo Paya.
- Prescription drug costs — He says he would work to lower prescription costs.
- Response to Salazar's immigration ad; debates — Rodriguez said Salazar sought Trump's endorsement and now criticizes his immigration policy only because it is unpopular in the district, citing her vote for a large immigration-enforcement funding package; he has accepted TV debate invitations and challenged Salazar to debate.
- Response to Salazar's immigration ad — Rodriguez said Salazar had voted for the tax-and-spending law that funded the enforcement she is criticizing, called the ad a 'desperate political stunt to save her seat,' and said 'she can't be trusted, she stands for nothing, she's going to lose.' His campaign's internal Bendixen & Amandi poll put the two candidates tied at 45%.
- Added to the DCCC's Red to Blue program — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Rodriguez to its Red to Blue program on Oct. 5, the fourth Florida Democrat in the program after Bale Dalton, Leela Gray and Pia Dandiya. DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene cited the cost of living; Rodriguez said on X that the addition makes the seat 'a national priority.'
- Campaign event with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries — Jeffries campaigned with Rodriguez in Miami on Oct. 16; the campaign says Rodriguez is running on lowering living costs, preserving Social Security and Medicare, and comprehensive immigration reform.