Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) has publicly cautioned President Donald Trump that his administration's immigration policies risk losing support among Latino voters. Salazar, who represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District, recently released a television advertisement filmed at the White House in which she stated that the same Hispanic voters who supported the president in 2024 now "feel betrayed." The Representative's comments follow a period of increased deportations that have affected residents within her Miami-Dade County district.
The district, which is more than 70% Latino, was part of a broader national shift in 2024 when President Trump reduced the Democratic margin with Latino voters to three points, down from a 25-point gap in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. However, recent polling from Equis Research indicates a potential reversal, with registered Hispanic and Latino voters favoring Democratic congressional candidates by a 57-to-31 margin if elections were held now. Following Salazar's ad, the president shared a post on TruthSocial that referred to her as a "back stabber," though Salazar stated she later spoke with the president to convey the sentiments of her constituents.
In Miami’s Little Havana, the political debate has intensified following local incidents, such as a recent arrest at Domino Park that increased community concerns regarding deportation. While some Republican voters continue to attribute the high cost of living to the previous Biden administration, others, such as voter Ricardo Carracedo, expressed plans to vote for Democrats due to the current administration’s immigration enforcement. Salazar’s Democratic challenger, former journalist Eliott Rodriguez, has campaigned on revamping the immigration judge system and restoring federal food assistance.
For a typical household in the district, the impact is felt through a combination of a high cost of living and the potential for family or neighbors to be removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While Salazar has previously proposed the Dignity Act to protect workers considered "pillars of their community" from deportation, critics like Carracedo argue such efforts are insufficient given her past support for ICE funding. These dynamics suggest that the economic and immigration concerns of this specific voting bloc could influence whether Florida remains a reliable state for the Republican platform or becomes competitive for Democrats again.
What happens next depends on voter turnout and the effectiveness of party messaging leading into the 2026 midterm elections. While the nonpartisan Cook Political Report currently rates the race for the 27th District as "lean Republican," the outcome will test whether economic malaise or immigration policy carries more weight at the ballot box. Democratic candidate Eliott Rodriguez campaigned as recently as October 16, 2026, at a local bakery, signaling an effort by his party to reclaim ground in a state some strategists had previously labeled as unwinnable. Final results will be determined on election day in November 2026.