MIAMI (WSVN) - Two Latina women are now battling for the seat to represent a huge portion of Miami-Dade.
The district sprawls from Cutler Bay through Little Havana and downtown Miami with about a 70% Hispanic voter population. Annette Taddeo was announced as the democratic candidate on Tuesday, and she will face off with incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar for District 27, come November.
Florida State Sen. Taddeo won the Democratic primary and incumbent Elvira Salazar won the Republican primary.
In 2017, Taddeo became the first Latina Democrat elected to the state Senate, when she flipped a seat held by a Republican. She hopes to flip the seat again and beat Salazar in November.
“I represent the people. I don’t, I don’t go there to represent the party,” she said. “I’m a proud Democrat, and everybody knows it, and you don’t have to lose your values to represent the people and fight for them.”
As for Salazar, she got her career started in journalism and shifted into politics. She hopes her past two years in Congress will get voters to re-elect her.
“I have represented the values of District Number 27, whether they are Democrats, or independents or Republicans, we’re all Americans,” she said, “and we all want the same thing, to be able to have cheap gas, be able to send our kids to school, and control what the kids are learning in school.”
When it comes to promises, both say one of their first priorities is to address inflation.
“We, as Republicans in the house of representatives, the most we can do is stop the bleed and stop creating more inflation, and that is why I’m asking the viewers to send to me back to Washington,” said Salazar. “My promise is that I’m going to go there and try to stop the damage that has been done to this country.”
“Right now, Miami is one of the most expensive places in the country. People are spending 58% of their income on housing and transportation. That is unacceptable,” said Taddeo. “In addition to that, we have a representative that keeps voting against those dollars. This is a hard job of public service and serving your community, not the party you represent, not the extremes.”
7News political expert Brian Fonseca, said the competition between the two will be too close to call.
“This district is considered by many as purple. It doesn’t necessarily swing in one direction or the other, candidly,” said Fonseca, “but still, I think Salazar may have the slight advantage. Either way, it’s going to be too close to call, and I think this is going to be one of the more exciting congressional races in the state of Florida.”
This district is also the only one in South Florida where the 2020 presidential election was competitive. It is very sought after historically because of how much it swings back and forth.
In 2018, Salazar lost her election but won in 2020. It really could go either way once again in the November elections.
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