GOP Rep. María Elvira Salazar wins re-election in Florida after clashing with Trump

Key Points:

• GOP Rep. María Elvira Salazar won re-election in her Miami-based congressional district after a recount showed her narrowly ahead of Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez by about 1,000 votes, with a larger margin of nearly 20 points in 2024.
• Salazar gained national attention for criticizing President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation policies, stating that many Hispanics felt “betrayed” and that the administration’s tactics had “gone too far,” which led to tension with Trump.
• Despite Trump carrying the district by 15 points in the 2024 presidential election and labeling Salazar a “backstabber” on social media, he did not officially withdraw his endorsement of her.
• The close race triggered a legal dispute when Rodriguez sued Miami-Dade’s election supervisor alleging bias, but a federal judge dismissed the case, allowing the recount to proceed.
• Miami-Dade County, heavily impacted by Trump’s deportation campaign and home to a large immigrant population, has shifted politically rightward in recent years, with Salazar’s district now set to host Trump’s presidential library.