Voters across South Florida's 27th Congressional District head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, to decide between Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez.

The district stretches from Little Havana down the coast to Cutler Bay and west into Kendall, according to WLRN. Nearly three-quarters of its residents are Hispanic, the Florida Trib reported. Immigration, housing costs and health care have emerged as the defining issues.

Both candidates are Cuban American and former South Florida television journalists. Both interviewed Fidel Castro during their careers, WLRN reported. That is roughly where the similarities end.

The candidates

Salazar, 64, was born in Miami, graduated from a private school in Coral Gables and earned a master's in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Local 10 News reported. She worked in Spanish-language TV before winning the seat in 2020. She is seeking a fourth term.

Rodriguez, 69, was born in the Bronx to Cuban immigrant parents. His father owned a grocery store, and his mother worked as a seamstress, according to WLRN. The family moved to Miami when he was 12. He spent more than 40 years in broadcast journalism, most of it in South Florida, and left CBS Miami in 2025. This is his first run for Congress.

Housing and cost of living

A household in the district needs to earn more than $108,000 a year to afford a two-bedroom rental without spending more than 30% of its income on housing, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, as cited by the Florida Trib.

Salazar helped develop provisions in the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law in July. Those provisions authorize a grant program to convert vacant and abandoned buildings into housing, the Florida Trib reported. Her office says she also secured $3.5 million for Miami's Flagler Affordable Senior Housing Project, planned to provide 60 affordable apartments for seniors.

Rodriguez's housing proposals include converting underused federal land into affordable housing, encouraging construction near jobs and transit, and expanding assistance for first-time homebuyers, according to the Florida Trib. He also supports a federal backstop to stabilize Florida's homeowners insurance market.

Immigration

Salazar's signature Dignity Act, reintroduced in 2025, would expand border enforcement and let qualifying undocumented immigrants live and work legally through a seven-year program requiring $7,000 in restitution, the Florida Trib reported. Participants could obtain renewable legal status but not a path to citizenship. The bill has not passed Congress.

She also voted for the 2025 federal tax-and-spending law, which provided $45 billion for immigration detention, the Florida Trib reported. In a September campaign ad, she told President Donald Trump: "Some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far."

Rodriguez told WLRN he wants to "change, restructure ICE," not abolish it. He supports more immigration judges and protections for Dreamers, the Florida Trib reported. He opposes the Dignity Act because it lacks a citizenship pathway.

Health care

About 249,000 district residents, or 31% of the population, were enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans in 2026, the highest total of any congressional district, according to KFF data cited by the Florida Trib.

Salazar voted for the 2025 tax-and-spending law, which tightened Medicaid eligibility. The Congressional Budget Office projected it would leave about 10 million more Americans uninsured nationwide by 2034, the Florida Trib reported. She later joined 16 other Republicans and House Democrats in voting to extend enhanced ACA premium tax credits. That measure passed the House but has not become law.

Rodriguez has pledged to protect Medicaid and ACA coverage and proposes a voluntary Medicare buy-in for adults ages 55 to 64, according to the Florida Trib.

Fundraising and what's next

Federal Election Commission records show Salazar reported $2.52 million in receipts through Oct. 14 and $1.68 million in cash on hand, the Florida Trib reported. Rodriguez reported $1.57 million in receipts and about $622,000 on hand.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Local 10 News. Florida tends to release results quickly, with the 2024 vote count 90% complete by 8:07 p.m., according to an AP state-by-state guide. Voters can find precinct information at VoteMiamiDade.gov.