Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Republican, is seeking re-election to Florida's 27th Congressional District on Nov. 3. She faces Democrat Eliott Rodriguez in the general election.

Salazar has represented the district since 2021. Before entering politics, she spent more than three decades as a broadcast journalist, winning five Emmy Awards, according to her congressional biography. She is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

The Gables Courier has profiled her opponent, Eliott Rodriguez.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Florida 27th Congressional District
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Birthplace: Miami's Little Havana neighborhood; daughter of Cuban exiles
  • Raised in: Miami and Puerto Rico
  • Education: Deerborne School of Coral Gables; Miami Dade College; bachelor's degree in communications, University of Miami, 1983; master's degree in public administration, Harvard University, 1995

Experience and public service

Salazar worked as a news reporter at Univision from 1983 to 1988, according to BallotReady profile data. She then served as a news anchor at CNN from 1988 to 1990 and as Central America bureau chief and White House correspondent at Univision from 1989 to 1995.

She went on to work as a primetime anchor and senior foreign correspondent at NBC Telemundo from 1995 to 2004. She later anchored at Mega TV from 2004 to 2012 and at CNN Latino Miami from 2013 to 2014, followed by another stint at Mega TV from 2014 to 2017. She was a political contributor at Fox News and Newsmax from 2016 to 2020 and 2017 to 2020, respectively.

Her congressional biography states she is the only U.S. Spanish-language journalist to have interviewed Cuban dictator Fidel Castro one-on-one. Salazar says on her campaign website that she became the anchor for CNN Español, which she described as the first time a major news network had a broadcast fully in Spanish.

Salazar first ran for Congress in 2018, winning the Republican primary but losing the general election to Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala, according to WLRN. She defeated Shalala in 2020.

In Congress, she chairs the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and serves on the House Committee on Financial Services. She holds the role of assistant whip in House Republican leadership, according to Local 10 News.

On the issues

Immigration: Salazar says on her campaign website that she co-led the introduction of the updated Dignity Act on July 15, 2025, with Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas. She says the bill secured 40 original cosponsors, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. The legislation, as she describes it, would allow certain undocumented immigrants to earn legal status by working and paying taxes, without a path to citizenship.

In a campaign ad reported by Local 10 News, Salazar said some of the administration's immigration enforcement efforts "have gone too far," adding: "The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today."

Healthcare: Salazar says on her campaign website that she supports protections for people with pre-existing conditions, preserving Medicare and allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans until age 26. She says she favors allowing individuals to buy health insurance across state lines and supports government renegotiation of drug prices.

Economy: Salazar says she supports cutting regulations for small businesses, enhancing access to capital and reducing unnecessary federal spending.

Environment: Salazar says on her campaign website that climate change is real and that Miami's coastline must be protected. She says she is working to modernize drainage and waste processing systems to reduce flooding.

Government reform: Salazar says she supports term limits for members of Congress.