Salazar-Rodriguez race enters recount as Miami elections chief faces lawsuit

Sofia Saric, Miami Herald on Nov 8, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A recount for Florida’s District 27 race will begin Monday following Miami Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar’s narrow lead over Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez, according to Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia.

As ordered by the Florida Secretary of State, the recount is scheduled to start 10 a.m. Monday at Miami-Dade Elections Headquarters in Doral, Garcia said in a Sunday statement. The re-tally comes after Salazar won 50.22% of the vote to Rodriguez’s 49.78% — a 1,090 victory, according to Miami-Dade general election results.

“Whatever the final outcome, I will respect the will of the voters,” Rodriguez said in a Sunday statement, adding he appreciated the legally required machine recount. “That is what our democracy requires, and that is what the people of Congressional District 27 deserve.”

Ana Carbonell, a spokesperson for the Salazar campaign, didn’t immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

The recount is expected to start just after a hearing in Rodriguez’s recently filed federal lawsuit, asking to bar Miami-Dade’s Republican supervisor of elections from taking part in the process. The Friday complaint accused the elections chief of being biased in Salazar’s favor.

In Miami federal court, the parties are scheduled for a motion hearing at 9 a.m. before Judge David S. Leibowitz, court records show.

Rodriguez is also seeking records from the Miami-Dade Elections Department for “a list of all overseas voters in Florida’s 27th Congressional District who requested a ballot, including military voters overseas, with records indicating whether each ballot was sent, returned, counted, rejected, or remains pending, and any recorded reason for rejection,” his statement said.

“A recount is not a denial of an election result or a challenge to democracy,” Rodriguez said. “It is an important safeguard established by Florida law to ensure accuracy and public confidence when an election is exceptionally close — as this one currently is.”