Rodriguez Campaign Presses Miami-Dade Supervisor to Step Aside From District 27 Recount
The candidate's team cites a family connection to his opponent's legal counsel, while the supervisor says the 0.46% margin triggers an automatic recount.
By Luis Medina ·
The campaign of congressional candidate Elliot Rodriguez is demanding that Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia remove herself from the canvassing board for District 27. Rodriguez’s team asserts that Garcia faces multiple conflicts of interest, specifically noting that her son-in-law, a lawyer, is representing Rodriguez’s opponent, Maria Elvira Salazar, in the recount matter.
The conflict emerged two days after Election Day, when the race was declared too close to call. In a statement released on Thursday, Rodriguez’s campaign formally requested confirmation of the family relationship and the lawyer’s role in the case. The campaign argued that if the relationship is confirmed, it raises serious concerns about Garcia making decisions that affect a candidate represented by a close family member.
Deputy Supervisor of Elections Juan Mendieta told NBC6 that Garcia will not recuse herself from the process. Salazar responded to the challenge on social media, characterizing her opponent as an election denier attempting to turn the process into a political circus because he dislikes the outcome.
Garcia stated that the margin of victory is 0.46 percent, which falls within Florida’s 0.5 percent automatic recount threshold. In raw numbers, approximately 1,100 votes separate the two candidates. Although Salazar has claimed victory, no official winner has been declared.
The Miami-Dade County canvassing board is scheduled to begin certifying election results on Friday morning. Garcia noted that 202 vote-by-mail ballots in the district are currently undergoing the curing process and must be reviewed before the procedure is complete. Rodriguez’s campaign maintained that the recount is the law working as written, not a source of controversy.
