Incumbent Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) has won reelection to Florida’s 27th Congressional District following a machine recount, according to a projection by CBS News. The recount was automatically triggered under Florida law due to the narrow margin between Salazar and her challenger, Democrat Eliott Rodriguez. Final recount totals announced on a Tuesday evening showed Salazar maintained a lead of 1,086 votes, a margin similar to the initial count.
Salazar has represented the Miami-area district since 2021, when she first entered Congress after defeating then-incumbent Rep. Donna Shalala. The district includes Coral Gables, Kendall, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, and portions of Miami. Rodriguez, a former television news anchor, entered the race in March 2026 following a nearly five-decade career in journalism. Both candidates secured their respective party nominations in August 2026.
The recount process followed a legal challenge from the Rodriguez campaign, which sought to remove Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia from the canvassing board. Rodriguez’s attorneys argued that Garcia’s public comments and social media posts indicated a bias toward Salazar. A judge dismissed the motion on a Monday morning, describing one of Garcia's statements as "stupid" but ruling it was insufficient to remove an elected official from her post. Garcia denied any conflict of interest, stating the lawsuit was without merit.
The recount process, which lasted approximately 18 hours, served as the final mechanical verification of the 2026 election results for this seat. While the judge criticized Garcia’s public rhetoric, the ruling affirmed that incomplete statements or social media photos are not grounds for removal from a canvassing board, ensuring the established administrative leadership remained in place through the certification process.
Next, the state of Florida is scheduled to officially certify the election results on November 17. Following certification, Salazar will be eligible to be sworn in for the upcoming congressional term. The conclusion of the recount ends the 2026 campaign cycle for this district, confirming that the 20-point margin Salazar held two years ago has narrowed significantly to just over 1,000 votes, though the outcome of the representation remains unchanged. Eliott Rodriguez has not announced further legal challenges following the dismissal of the motion against the Supervisor of Elections.