Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a former Spanish-language TV journalist, was reelected to continue representing U.S. House District 27, which covers areas of downtown Miami, Key Biscayne, Little Havana, Coral Gables, Kendall, and Cutler Bay.
Salazar, 62, beat Miami-Dade County School Board member Lucia Baez-Geller, a Democrat and former high school teacher, in the congressional race in Miami-Dade County. Salazar lost in 2018, won in 2020 with a narrow lead, and won with a landslide in 2022. This is her third victory.
“I’ll continue to be your voice, fighting for you! We have a lot of work to do: fix the economy, reform immigration & fight socialism at home & abroad,” Salazar wrote on Facebook.
Aside from name recognition, Salazar — a Cuban American who endorsed former President Donald Trump — also had an advantage with campaign funds. Salazars upported raising the minimum age to purchase rifles from 18 to 21 years old and immigration reform with a path to citizenship.
Baez-Geller whose father is also Cuban and mother is Colombian, married into a Jewish family. The former high school teacher was elected to the Miami-Dade County School Board in 2020. She supports LGBTQ+ civil rights, expanding the childcare tax credit, and protecting the environment.
Baez-Geller accused Salazar of prioritizing the interests of the “extremist wing of her party above the needs of District 27.” Salazar said that is not true adding that she voted against the 2021 infrastructure deal and the 2022 Bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act because these were “not good for the country.”
On Florida’s Amendment 4, Baez-Geller disclosed that she supported protecting abortion rights because of her experience with having to terminate a non-viable pregnancy. Salazar told Local 10 News in October that she had yet to decide on the issue.
“I’m still thinking about it because I’m saying, it’s very badly written, but I do believe there are cases that it’s up to the women,” Salazar said. “I understand that, too.”
After the polls closed, Salazar’s watch party was at Sergio’s, at 3252 SW 22 St., east of Coral Gables. Baez-Geller did not disclose her plans.
VIEW ALL RESULTS: South Florida General Election Results for Nov. 5, 2024
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