Cutler Bay voters will choose between two Cuban-American former television journalists for Congress on Nov. 3, in a race national Democrats have identified as one of three Republican-held Florida districts "in play" in 2026.
Incumbent Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar will face Democrat Eliott Rodriguez for Florida's 27th Congressional District, which runs from downtown Miami south through Coral Gables, Pinecrest and into Cutler Bay. The district covers about 119 square miles and has roughly 788,713 residents.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed the seat as one of three Florida Republican-held districts "in play" for the midterms, according to a Florida Phoenix report from February.
How each candidate won their primary — and who has more cash
Salazar, 64, won her Aug. 18 Republican primary with about 81% of the vote. Rodriguez, 69, took the Democratic primary the same night with about 54%, defeating former federal prosecutor Robin Peguero.
The fundraising gap is steep. Federal Election Commission filings show Salazar with more than $2.25 million in cash on hand compared with more than $325,000 for Rodriguez, according to Local 10.
Salazar's record vs. Rodriguez's affordability pitch
Salazar, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, posted on X after her primary win that she would continue fighting to lower taxes, find solutions to the housing crisis, build bipartisan support on immigration and confront what she called "Democratic Socialists."
Her legislative record includes the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, which criminalizes certain publication of nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes, and requires covered online platforms to establish a process for removing reported content. The measure was signed into law in 2025.
Salazar also worked with Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas on the bipartisan DISPOSE Act, which established an initiative to help partner countries seize and destroy precursor chemicals used in illicit drug production. The legislation became law in December 2024 as part of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
Rodriguez has centered his campaign on affordability and opposition to the Trump administration's immigration policies. In a WSVN interview on Aug. 19, he framed the race in personal terms: "Our daughters have moved someplace else with our grandchildren. They can't afford to live here and that story has resonated with so many people who say this economic crisis is affecting people at all socioeconomic levels."
He has called for increased federal funding for affordable, low-cost and workforce housing, CBS News Miami reported.
District 27's demographics and recent voting history
Republicans performed strongly in District 27 in 2024. Donald Trump carried the district with about 57% of the vote to Democrat Kamala Harris' 42%, a margin of roughly 15 percentage points. Salazar won reelection the same year with about 60% of the vote, defeating her Democratic opponent by nearly 21 percentage points.
But Florida International University political science professor Eduardo Gamarra told the Florida Phoenix in February that the district's demographics complicate assumptions about its political leanings: "This is not a Cuban-only district. It has Haitians. African-Americans. Wealthy Latin Americans on Key Biscayne."
About 54% of the district's population is foreign-born, more than double Florida's statewide rate, according to 2024 U.S. Census data cited by Fox News.
The district has also drawn national attention because of the fight for control of the U.S. House. Democrats have specifically identified the seat as one of the Republican-held districts they believe could be competitive this year.
Registration, mail ballot and early voting deadlines
The deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 5.
The deadline for county election officials to receive a request to mail a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. Oct. 22.
Florida's mandatory early-voting period runs Oct. 24-31, although counties may offer additional early-voting days beginning Oct. 19 and continuing through Nov. 1.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
