Three-term Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar won the race for Florida’s 27th congressional district by 20 percentage points two years ago.
But her lead over her Democratic challenger, former TV news anchor Eliott Rodriguez, in Tuesday night's race is so thin — less than a percentage point, or about 1,300 votes — it requires a recount.
In Key Biscayne, Salazar said she expects to win — but said the results from her race and across the country are a warning to her party.
"The voters have spoken loud and clear all over District Number 27, Florida, and the rest of the country, that my party, my Republican Party, needs to course-correct on the economy and on immigration," Salazar said.
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In South Miami, Rodriguez told supporters the tight result confirmed a significant crossover of votes in red Miami-Dade County to Democrats. Polls show Latinos, the majority voters in the 27th District, have defected from President Trump, especially over the issues of affordability and immigration.
Rodriguez said he would not concede until the recount was finished.
“Tonight, if you ever doubted that every vote matters, this is proof that every vote matters," Rodriguez told an energized crowd at Pub 52.
"And we are going to wait until every single vote is counted ... That's the fundamental promise of American democracy."
Both Salazar and Rodriguez are Cuban-Americans. During her campaign, Salazar rebuked Trump for his unpopular immigration enforcement policies.
