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.
Candidates
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
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. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Salazar voted for the Laken Riley Act and describes her Dignity Act as 'enforcement first' with 'zero tolerance for criminals' and permanent border security, but the bill would also give long-term undocumented immigrants earned legal status ('No amnesty. No handouts. No citizenship.'). In a September 2026 ad she said the administration's immigration enforcement has 'gone too far,' and she has asked for deferred action for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. Sources: The Dignity Act (salazar.house.gov) · Maria Elvira Salazar: I Am Leading the Charge on Immigratio… · In campaign ad, GOP congresswoman says Trump's immigration … (2026-09) · Congresswoman Salazar Asks Administration for Deferred Acti… (2025) · House Roll Call 23 on S. 5, Laken Riley Act (263-156), Jan.… (2025-01-22) · S.5 - Laken Riley Act (119th Congress) - Congress.gov (2025-01-29) | Leans disagree· stated position Rodriguez campaigns against the Trump administration's deportation crackdown, saying in a January 2026 ad that 'secure borders matter, but so does due process and our constitution.' He also argues Salazar's Dignity Act fails to provide permanent legal pathways for Venezuelans, Haitians and Cubans. Sources: Ex-TV anchor Eliott Rodriguez wins the Democratic nod in Fl… (2026-08-18) · Eliott Rodriguez wins Democratic primary for Florida's 27th… (2026-08-18) · Maria Salazar slams Trump's immigration tactics (The Hill) (2026-09) · Cost of living, immigration and Cuba: Eliott Rodriguez deba… (2026-09-04) |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | No public position found | 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. | No public position found |
| 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 Rodriguez says he would fight to restore expired Affordable Care Act subsidies, which he says Salazar voted to remove, and to lower prescription drug costs. |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Rodriguez identifies protecting Social Security and Medicare as key priorities and has tied Salazar to efforts to cut the programs; his position on additional revenue was not captured. |
| 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). | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | 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. | No public position found | 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. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Voted for H.R. 1 (2025), which phased out most Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits and expanded oil and gas leasing. | No public position found |
| 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 voted for and celebrated the administration's signature 2025 tax-and-spending bill, but in a September 2026 campaign ad said its immigration enforcement has 'gone too far' and that Hispanic voters 'feel betrayed.' | 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.
Eliott RodriguezHow 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).
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).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Elvira Salazar | 1.67 (3 statements) | 0.50 (4 statements) |
| Eliott Rodriguez | not enough data | -1.50 (4 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.
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.