Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) is hoping to keep her congressional district Republican this midterm election cycle, as the freshman congresswoman will now officially face state Senator Annette Taddeo (D) in the general election.
Although Rep. Salazar has faced criticism from Republican voters for not being conservative enough, her lone Republican challenger Frank Polo Sr., who's facing Salazar again after unsuccessfully running as a write-in candidate in the 2020 election, has once again failed to defeat Salazar.
For Democrats, state Senator Taddeo entered the race for the 27th district after dropping out of the gubernatorial race. Soon after, Taddeo endorsed Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) for governor.
Already in the race, Commissioner Ken Russell (D) entered after dropping out of the Senate race, and Angel Montalvo (D).
Taddeo quickly gained support, and she asserted herself as the Democrat that could turn the 27th district blue again, citing her previous election to a predominantly red district.
Salazar has deemed Taddeo as a socialist threat, and Taddeo, in the hours before the primaries, added 22 endorsements to her repertoire, including South Miami Mayor Phil Stoddard, who'd previously endorsed Russell.
In a statement, Taddeo thanked her endorsers, saying that "No one knows their community like local elected leaders. All of these, over 20 leaders, have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of Miamians in every corner of our county.”
Similarly, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) endorsed Salazar in the days leading up to the race, saying that "Rep. Salazar spent her career as a journalist holding the corrupt and powerful accountable. In just her first term, María has continued to do this representing the people of Florida’s 27th District."
District 27 voters will choose between Rep. Salazar and state Senator Taddeo on November 8th, 2022.
