(WSVN) - All eyes are on South Florida where some of the most expensive and contentious races have candidates working hard for your vote.
South Florida’s Congressional candidates are making their last push for votes. From incumbents trying to hang on to their seats, to a district seen as a must-win for both parties after Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen steps down.
There’s time for one last message to those voters who did not participate in in-person early voting.
We start in Broward’s District 23, where Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz is hoping to beat Independent Tim Canova. She’s working the phones, and both candidates are reaching out to voters in Hollywood.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: “Just a week ago, you had Mitch McConnell say that he thought Medicare and Social Security needed to be changed. We’re trying to make sure we talk to folks in our party about how important it is to get out and vote for candidates that are gonna help make the world a better place, and make people’s lives better.”
Tim Canova: “I want to represent all of the people of this district, regardless of party. There’s a lot of parts to this district who feel very unrepresented. A lot of parts of this district people are suffering, lack of jobs and healthcare, housing costs are rising. We want to be there to represent them.”
Several Congressional districts are in the spotlight in Miami-Dade County. Democrat Mary Barzee Flores is facing off against veteran Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, currently representing District 25.
Diaz-Balart spoke at an event in Hialeah.
Mario Diaz-Balart: “Whether it’s $835 million that I’ve gotten for Everglades restoration, whether it’s $3 billion for helping folks who have family members with mental health issues, whether it’s securing our schools and making them safe for our kids. My record is of getting things done.”
Barzee Flores joined a group outside of the Miami-Dade Election Headquarters in Doral.
Mary Barzee Flores: “I’m not beholden to the NRA. My opponent has taken more money from the NRA than any other congressperson in the State of Florida in the last 20 years, even taking money after Parkland.”
In District 26, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is hoping to oust Congressman Carlos Curbelo from office.
This is the Republican’s second term in office since being elected in 2014. His ads paint him not as partisan but a referee in a divided Washington.
Carlos Curbelo (speaking in ad): “The left blocked my dreamers’ solution. I called them out and kept working. The Right didn’t do enough for our environment or school safety. I called that one too.”
Mucarsel-Powell said a major issue for voters is healthcare.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: “Accessible health care, social justice, economic justice, fighting for someone that’s gonna be a champion in D.C. for all the families living in District 26.”
Arguably one of the biggest South Florida races is in District 27. With the incumbent retiring, you’ve got two well-known names vying for the seat.
Democrat Donna Shalala is a former cabinet member in the Clinton White House and former president of the University of Miami. She said protections for pre-existing conditions will be protected.
Donna Shalala: “This administration wants to take that away. Wants to take away the guarantee that your healthcare will cover all necessary medical conditions. That’s pre-existing conditions. That’s cancer. That’s diabetes. That’s pregnancy, actually. It’s an important race that healthcare is what people in Miami want to talk to me about.”
And Republican Maria Elvira Salazar is a former television personality taking her first step into politics. She’s hoping to keep District 27 red.
Maria Elvira Salazar: “When it comes to District 2, we’re talking about keeping the seat in the hands, not only of the Republicans or the Democrats, it’s keeping the seat in the hands of the community. I believe that I understand the community very well, and I’m gonna be a fresh set of eyes and ears, and new voice in Washington for those that live in District 27. That’s why I’m asking you to go out and vote.”
7News reached out to Mayra Joli running in District 27, Joseph Kaufman running in District 23 and Representative Carlos Curbelo, but the candidates were not made available to us.
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