Jesse Scheckner
Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar punched her ticket to a third term serving Florida’s 27th Congressional District on Tuesday with a win over Democrat Lucia Báez-Geller.
With only mail-in and early votes tallied and none of the district’s 211 precincts yet reporting, Salazar had 60% of the vote to repel her challenger. Election forecasters had heavily favored her to win.
Salazar carried significant advantages into Election Day, including a rightward shift in the district’s electorate, a GOP edge in early voting turnout and a war chest more than five times the size of her challenger.
And while Democrat voters still outnumbered Republicans in Miami-Dade County, that wasn’t the case in CD 27, where they led by 6 percentage points, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
CD 27 spans the municipalities of Miami, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, North Bay Village, South Miami, West Miami and several unincorporated areas.
Báez-Geller, 41, has represented much of that area during her four years on the Miami-Dade School Board, where she distinguished herself as its most progressive member. She ran for Congress on her record with the panel and the compassionate stances she took there despite culture war issues that made doing so less politically expedient than in years past.
Where Salazar has been reticent on abortion — it was not part of the Congresswoman’s published campaign platform — Báez-Geller said she’s for federally protecting the procedure and opened up in a Miami Herald op-ed about her own use of it.
She vowed, if elected, to tackle affordability issues, from lowering the cost of housing, homeowner insurance and prescription drug prices to making health care more accessible and expanding the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit.
Salazar, 62, ran on an anti-socialism, pro-capitalism, pro-term limits platform that also highlighted the need for affordable health care and strong educational options.
She listed environmental protections as a priority, describing herself as a “proud champion of the Everglades” who is “leading the charge” on creating a national resilience strategy to safeguard coastal communities from hurricanes, storm surges and rising sea levels.
She also noted that she supported successful legislation to aid in coral reef restoration and secured millions of dollars for CD 27 stormwater and flood-controlling infrastructure and to improve the health of Biscayne Bay.
Báez-Geller said acknowledging the reality of climate change and taking steps to better prepare for it and prevent it from worsening was vital. To that end, she criticized Salazar’s vote against President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which included a $370 million earmark for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Salazar caught flack for other “no” votes, specifically her actions after. She held publicity events to present federal funding checks to local schools and organizations — after voting against apportioning the money in Washington through measures like the Consolidated Appropriations Act and CHIPS and Science Act.
And she hasn’t been particularly effective at passing her own legislation. Since taking office, Salazar passed just one bill (HR 4389) to fund projects promoting the conservation of migratory birds. Three others aimed at denouncing socialism, posthumously honoring diplomats who helped save Jewish people during the Holocaust and requiring more guidance for returning Paycheck Protection Program loans passed in the House.
It’s not for a lack of ambition. Her signature legislation, a voluminous bill called the Dignity Act, promised to provided illegal immigrants a payment path to permanent residency while setting aside billions for border security operations and improvements. She introduced the measure in 2022 and 2023 to praise from both sides of the political divide. It has yet to pass the GOP-controlled House.
Salazar voted more moderately than she presented. For example, she supported creating a post-Jan. 6 commission to investigate the U.S. Capitol attack. She also backed a measure to raise the federal age or assault-style rifles from 18 to 21.
In terms of fundraising, it was hardly a contest. Salazar collected more than $3 million and spent $1.42 million through Oct. 16. Her gains came through a blend of personal checks, corporate contributions and political donations.
Báez-Geller collected $591,500 through Oct. 16, by which time she’d spent $486,000.
Analyses of CD 27, as redrawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, show it is much safer for Republicans. But it was still considered South Florida’s most closely divided congressional district.
Biden won the district under its old borders in 2020 by 3.3 percentage points, according to MCI Maps. Two years later, DeSantis won it by 17 points, while U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio — who endorsed Salazar — won there by 15.
