Republican Maria Elvira Salazar defeats Democrat Annette Taddeo for District 27 seat

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The race to represent Florida in one of its congressional districts had been extremely closely contested.

The incumbent, Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, faced off against Democrat Annette Taddeo for the right to represent Florida’s 27th Congressional District.

Shortly after 8 p.m. the race was called for Salazar, who had 57 percent of the vote with over 70 percent of precincts reporting, a lead that would only grow as the night went on. Salazar held a nearly 15 point lead over Taddeo with only three precincts left to report.

The handy victory by Salazar blows away the few polls that had been conducted in the race. The poll with the largest margin between the two candidates had them six points apart.

So what did Salazar do right?

For one, she just pushed standard Republican talking points, such as inflation and the economy.

She also relied on a message she has used before, painting her opponent as a radical leftist and trying to appeal to Cuban, Venezuelan, and Colombian-Americans.

After claiming victory, the congresswoman said decisively that the Hispanic vote is shifting to the GOP.

“This election proves what Ronald Reagan famously said, that Latinos are Republicans, they just don’t know it, until tonight, because 2022 has been the year of the Hispanic Republicans,” said Salazar. “For the last two years, the radical left has tried to change the course of this country, but the founding fathers created a system that was too strong and is still standing on the pillars of faith, family, and freedom.”

Salazar is a Cuban-American and a retired journalist. She won a 2020 election against former Rep. Donna Shalala after Shalala had previously defeated Salazar for the seat in 2018.

Taddeo is a Colombian-American businesswoman and Florida state Senator.

Both women enjoyed convincing wins in their Primary Election races back in August.

The district is around 70 percent Hispanic and covers parts of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and Kendall.

In terms of its U.S. Representatives, the district has flipped from red to blue and back since the retirement of longtime GOP Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in 2019.