Ex-TV anchor Eliott Rodriguez wins the Democratic nod in Florida's 27th — but can he unseat Salazar?
By Tim Padgett
August 18, 2026 at 9:24 PM EDT
Former longtime South Florida television news anchorman Eliott Rodriguez won the Democratic primary for Congress in Florida's 27th district Tuesday night.
His win, driven by a campaign focused on affordability and immigration, sets up what is expected to be a competitive race in November against another former Miami TV news personality and Cuban-American, three-term incumbent Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar.
Rodriguez defeated former prosecutor Robin Peguero, 54% to 46%, according to the latest election results.
Though a political novice, Rodriguez carried a decisive name recognition advantage — which Democrats hope will give them their first real chance to challenge Salazar since she won the Miami-Dade County congressional seat in 2020.
"I think that Republicans and independents will trust me, and you know why? — because they've known me, they've known me for decades, before they had any clue what my political affiliation is," Rodriguez told WLRN after declaring victory at the Sports Bar Kendall.
In his victory speech, Rodriguez said Salazar is a "person who pretends to care about lowering costs, who pretends to care about treating immigrants with respect ... who looks the other way" at President Donald Trump's increasingly unpopular policies like the Iran war.
Former Miami TV news anchor Eliott Rodriguez declaring victory in the Florida 27th congressional district Democratic primary Tuesday night, August 18, 2026, at the Sports Grill Kendall in Kendall. (3515x2642, AR: 1.330431491294474)
Salazar — who has stressed her more moderate immigration enforcement agenda compared to President Donald Trump's aggressive detention and deportation campaign — routed her Republican primary opponent, V. Michael Arias, of Coral Gables, 81% to 19%, the latest election results show.
For her part, Salazar told supporters at her watch party Tuesday night: “Now the choice is clear. We can keep moving South Florida forward, or turn our community over to a Democratic Party increasingly infiltrated by socialists whose policies mean higher costs, weaker borders, more government control, and less freedom. We have seen where socialism leads, and we will not allow it to take root here.”
Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar easily won her Republican primary on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, garnering more than 80% of support among GOP voters over her opponent V. Michael Arias, of Coral Gables. Her opponent in November will be ex-TV anchor Eliott Rodriguez, who won the Democratic primary. (1200x808, AR: 1.4851485148514851)
READ MORE: Ex-anchorman Eliott Rodriguez will run for María Elvira Salazar's Miami congressional seat
Rodriguez said Miami's and America's affordability crisis would be the focus of his mid-term campaign against Salazar and the Trump Republicans.
"For too many families, our community has simply become too expensive to live in" he said.
"And too many young people, including members of my own family, they wonder if they can afford to build their future here — or pack up and get out of town...
"This cannot continue to be a community where only the wealthy, millionaires and billionaires, can afford to live."
Rodriguez retired as the popular, longtime Local CBS4 News anchor last December, and announced his candidacy in March.
As a child of Cuban immigrants, like Salazar, Rodriguez is also campaigning against Trump's severe deportation crackdown, which has hit the Cuban and other Latino communities in South Florida especially hard.
Salazar herself, though, has tried to distance herself from Trump and her party on immigration, calling for a softer approach to migrant detentions and co-sponsoring a bill, the Dignity Act, that would give many undocumented migrants a pathway to legal immigration status in the U.S.
His win, driven by a campaign focused on affordability and immigration, sets up what is expected to be a competitive race in November against another former Miami TV news personality and Cuban-American, three-term incumbent Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar.
Rodriguez defeated former prosecutor Robin Peguero, 54% to 46%, according to the latest election results.
Though a political novice, Rodriguez carried a decisive name recognition advantage — which Democrats hope will give them their first real chance to challenge Salazar since she won the Miami-Dade County congressional seat in 2020.
"I think that Republicans and independents will trust me, and you know why? — because they've known me, they've known me for decades, before they had any clue what my political affiliation is," Rodriguez told WLRN after declaring victory at the Sports Bar Kendall.
In his victory speech, Rodriguez said Salazar is a "person who pretends to care about lowering costs, who pretends to care about treating immigrants with respect ... who looks the other way" at President Donald Trump's increasingly unpopular policies like the Iran war.
Former Miami TV news anchor Eliott Rodriguez declaring victory in the Florida 27th congressional district Democratic primary Tuesday night, August 18, 2026, at the Sports Grill Kendall in Kendall. (3515x2642, AR: 1.330431491294474)
Salazar — who has stressed her more moderate immigration enforcement agenda compared to President Donald Trump's aggressive detention and deportation campaign — routed her Republican primary opponent, V. Michael Arias, of Coral Gables, 81% to 19%, the latest election results show.
For her part, Salazar told supporters at her watch party Tuesday night: “Now the choice is clear. We can keep moving South Florida forward, or turn our community over to a Democratic Party increasingly infiltrated by socialists whose policies mean higher costs, weaker borders, more government control, and less freedom. We have seen where socialism leads, and we will not allow it to take root here.”
Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar easily won her Republican primary on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, garnering more than 80% of support among GOP voters over her opponent V. Michael Arias, of Coral Gables. Her opponent in November will be ex-TV anchor Eliott Rodriguez, who won the Democratic primary. (1200x808, AR: 1.4851485148514851)
READ MORE: Ex-anchorman Eliott Rodriguez will run for María Elvira Salazar's Miami congressional seat
Rodriguez said Miami's and America's affordability crisis would be the focus of his mid-term campaign against Salazar and the Trump Republicans.
"For too many families, our community has simply become too expensive to live in" he said.
"And too many young people, including members of my own family, they wonder if they can afford to build their future here — or pack up and get out of town...
"This cannot continue to be a community where only the wealthy, millionaires and billionaires, can afford to live."
Rodriguez retired as the popular, longtime Local CBS4 News anchor last December, and announced his candidacy in March.
As a child of Cuban immigrants, like Salazar, Rodriguez is also campaigning against Trump's severe deportation crackdown, which has hit the Cuban and other Latino communities in South Florida especially hard.
Salazar herself, though, has tried to distance herself from Trump and her party on immigration, calling for a softer approach to migrant detentions and co-sponsoring a bill, the Dignity Act, that would give many undocumented migrants a pathway to legal immigration status in the U.S.