U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar has nabbed the endorsements of five major law enforcement entities in her campaign to secure a fourth consecutive term representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
Her latest backers: the South Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA), Florida State Fraternal Order of Police District 6, Police Officers Defense Coalition, Hispanic Police Officers Association, and Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
Cordero-Stutz, the county’s first elected Sheriff this century, praised Salazar’s track record on law enforcement as key to earning her nod, calling the lawmaker “a strong and reliable fighter” for police in South Florida.
“She understands that keeping our communities safe means making sure the men and women who protect us have the tools, resources, and support they need to do their jobs,” she said.
South Florida PBA President Steadman Stahl emphasized Salazar’s consistency. “Congresswoman Salazar has made law and order a priority throughout her public service career and has remained dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of the residents she represents,” he said.
Salazar’s campaign said she has delivered substantial federal funding for public safety initiatives, including $3.75 million to modernize technology for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, $2.1 million for new Miami Police patrol vehicles and $1.25 million for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Violence Reduction Initiative.
As lead House sponsor of the bipartisan Take It Down Act, which President Donald Trump signed last May, Salazar championed federal protections for victims of nonconsensual intimate images and AI-generated deepfakes.
The legislation has already secured its first conviction.
Salazar expressed gratitude for the law enforcement support Monday.
“Keeping our families safe starts with supporting the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day,” Salazar said. “I am honored to have the trust of these local and national law enforcement leaders. I will always fight to give our officers the tools and support they need to keep our communities safe.”
CD 27 covers Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, West Miami and part of Miami south of the Dolphin Expressway.
Salazar won re-election to a third term in 2024 by a margin of nearly 21 points.
Despite that landslide and Miami-Dade’s reddening in recent years, the CD 27 race has again garnered national attention this cycle. Three nonpartisan outlets have shifted the district from “safe Republican” to “likely Republican,” and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has listed CD 27 among its “Districts in Play.”
Salazar faces Vincent Arias in the Aug. 18 Republican Primary. On the Democratic side, former federal prosecutor and Jan. 6 congressional investigator Robin Peguero is competing in a Primary with former TV news anchor Eliott Rodriguez.
Competing internal polls paint vastly different pictures of the Democratic race. Peguero’s poll has him leading Rodriguez by 3 percentage points, while Rodriguez’s internal survey found him ahead by a whopping 26 points.
Salazar has maintained a significant financial advantage. She raised nearly $578,000 last quarter and entered July with $2.3 million in cash on hand.
The Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.