Salazar Holds Narrow Lead as Florida 27th District Recount Continues

Miami-Dade County’s automatic recount entered its second day on November 10 in Doral, with the county canvassing board overseeing the count and lawyers for both candidates observing. Salazar’s advantage over Rodriguez stood at 0.44 percentage points, close enough to trigger Florida’s automatic recount law, which applies when the gap is below 0.5 percent of votes cast.

The count began on Monday with Election Day ballots, moved to vote-by-mail ballots, and was set to finish with early-voting ballots. State officials require the results by 3 p.m. on November 12. A hand recount is required if the margin is 0.25 percent or less, Garcia said.

Shortly before the recount began, U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz declined to grant Rodriguez’s request to remove Garcia from the canvassing process. Rodriguez’s campaign argued that Garcia’s comments after Election Day raised concerns about impartiality. Garcia had said the race was Salazar’s to win even if a recount took place; her office later said the security of the voting process made a changed result unlikely. Leibowitz criticized the remarks but allowed Garcia to remain.

Rodriguez’s campaign also pointed to Garcia’s son-in-law, Robert Fernandez, who is representing Salazar in the recount. Fernandez said there was no legal basis for claiming a conflict. The judge rejected Rodriguez’s arguments, citing election safeguards. Campaign attorney J.C. Planas said the lawsuit was about ensuring officials demonstrate impartiality, not about either candidate.

Salazar’s lead was more than 1,100 votes, and she had called it insurmountable. Rodriguez had said the contest was close and that the votes needed to be counted. The recount was expected to finish around midday on November 10, ahead of the state deadline.

Recount Must Be Trusted After Judge Lets Salazar’s Relative’s Firm Stay

A close congressional race deserves a recount process voters can trust. Yet as Miami-Dade County continued counting ballots on November 10, the supervisor of elections remained involved after a federal judge rejected Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez’s request for her removal. Republican incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar led by 0.44 percentage points, a margin that triggers an automatic machine recount under Florida law.

Rodriguez’s campaign raised concerns about supervisor Alina Garcia’s public comments after Election Day. Garcia had said Salazar was the winner regardless of a recount, before her office clarified that a recount was unlikely to change the tally. Judge David S. Leibowitz criticized the comments but still allowed Garcia to remain on the canvassing board. Rodriguez’s attorney, J.C. Planas, said the case was about requiring officials to show impartiality.

The campaign also cited Garcia’s son-in-law, Robert Fernandez, who is acting as Salazar’s recount lawyer. Fernandez rejected the conflict-of-interest claim, and the judge turned aside Rodriguez’s arguments, pointing to election safeguards. But safeguards matter only when the process inspires confidence, especially in a contest this close.

The recount began Monday, moving from Election Day ballots to mail ballots and then early-voting ballots. Results must be ready by 3 p.m. on November 12; a manual recount applies if the margin is 0.25 percent or less. Salazar’s advantage exceeded 1,100 votes, and she called it insurmountable. Rodriguez said the count must run its course. The public’s interest is not merely a tally, but an impartial process.

Judge Rejects Rodriguez Bid as Florida’s Recount Follows Election Law

Florida’s election rules—not a candidate’s objections—are guiding the recount in the 27th Congressional District. On November 10, Miami-Dade County continued its automatic machine count, with Republican incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar leading Democrat Eliott Rodriguez by 0.44 percentage points. State law requires a recount when the margin is under half a point.

Rodriguez sought to remove elections supervisor Alina Garcia, citing comments she made after polls closed and the fact that her son-in-law, Robert Fernandez, represents Salazar in the recount. Federal Judge David S. Leibowitz turned down Rodriguez’s request. He criticized Garcia’s comments but allowed her to remain, pointing to the checks and safeguards built into the election process.

Garcia’s office later clarified that her remarks reflected the view that a recount was unlikely to change the result because voting is secure. Fernandez said there was no legal basis for alleging a conflict. Rodriguez’s lawyer, J.C. Planas, said the lawsuit was about impartiality; still, the court rejected the effort to remove the supervisor rather than disrupt the process over claims it found unpersuasive.

The count started Monday with Election Day ballots, continued with vote-by-mail ballots, and was due to finish with early votes. The state’s deadline for results is 3 p.m. on November 12. A hand recount is required only if the margin falls to 0.25 percent or less. Salazar held a lead of more than 1,100 votes and described it as insurmountable, while Rodriguez said the close result required waiting for the ballots to be counted.