Maria Elvira Salazar

In the 2024 House race for FL-27, Maria Elvira Salazar (R) defeated Lucia Baez-Geller (D) 60.4% to 39.6%. Maria Elvira Salazar received 199,159 votes compared to 130,708 for Lucia Baez-Geller, a dominant 20.8-point margin reflecting a safely partisan district.

As the incumbent, Maria Elvira Salazar benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2022 House race for FL-27, Maria Elvira Salazar (R) defeated Annette Taddeo (D) 57.3% to 42.7%. Maria Elvira Salazar received 136,038 votes compared to 101,404 for Annette Taddeo, a comfortable 14.6-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.

As the incumbent, Maria Elvira Salazar benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Republican, Maria Elvira Salazar benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Democrat in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.

In the 2020 House race for FL-27, Maria Elvira Salazar (R) won with 51.4% of the vote, defeating Donna E. Shalala (D) who received 48.6%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. The 2.7-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

This was an open-seat race with no incumbent running — Ileana Ros-lehtinen (R) previously held the seat. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2020 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket. Given the narrow margin, this seat is likely to remain competitive and attract heavy investment in the next cycle.

In the 2018 House race for FL-27, Donna Shalala (D) won with 25.9% of the vote, defeating Maria Elvira Salazar (R) who received 22.9%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. The 3.0-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

This race flipped the seat from Republican to Democrat. Ileana Ros-lehtinen (R) held the seat previously but either retired or lost in a primary. Party flips at the seat level are relatively rare and often signal shifting district dynamics. As a Democrat, Donna Shalala benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Republican in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.