The Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar cast her early vote this Saturday in Coral Gables, Florida, and shared a video on Facebook in which she described an unusually high turnout for a midterm election and urged Hispanic voters to head to the polls before Tuesday, November third.
"For me, today is a glorious day because I just came out of one of the polling places where it was packed. I have never seen so many people waiting in line for a midterm election," declared the legislator, visibly excited.
Salazar framed the contest not as a dispute between parties, but as a clash of ideologies. "We are not voting for one party or the other, no, we are voting for two ideologies, and unfortunately, a socialist ideology has infiltrated the Democratic Party," he stated.
The congresswoman was straightforward in drawing the line that, according to her, defines this election: "We Republicans are not perfect, but we are not communists."
His message explicitly targeted the Latino electorate residing in the 27th Congressional District of Florida, a constituency with an approximately 73.5% Hispanic population that includes Coral Gables, South Miami, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, and parts of Miami-Dade.
"The Cuban, Venezuelan, Colombian, Nicaraguan, and Central American vote knows that socialism brings nothing good," he noted, invoking the experiences of those who emigrated from countries ruled by leftist regimes.
Salazar is seeking a fourth consecutive term as representative for FL-27, in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races in South Florida.
His rival is Eliott Rodríguez, a Cuban-American journalist and former CBS Miami anchor for 25 years, who won the Democratic primary in August with 53.5% of the votes.
The most recent survey, conducted by RedBox Research between October 20 and 23, placed Salazar at 49% compared to 46% for Rodríguez, a margin that keeps the race competitive.
On the same day that Salazar voted, President Donald Trump formally endorsed her through Truth Social, calling it a "great job" and expressing his "full and complete support." The backing came after weeks of tensions stemming from the Congresswoman's criticisms of mass deportations and her defense of a proposal to regularize immigrants without criminal records, which led Trump to label her as "soft" on border issues.
The high early voting turnout in Miami-Dade supports Salazar's enthusiasm: as of October 27, more than 300,000 votes had already been cast in the county, representing 22.92% of the registered active voters.
Early in-person voting in Miami-Dade is extended until this Sunday at 28 locations, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., ahead of the general election on Tuesday, November 3rd.
"I want you to go, get off the couch, go vote, and make sure you preserve those rights for your children," Salazar concluded his appeal to the voters.
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