Anchor vs. anchor? Eliott Rodriguez announces run against María Elvira Salazar in CD 27

Veteran Miami TV news anchor Eliott Rodriguez is launching a bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar in Florida’s 27th Congressional District.

Rodriguez, a longtime South Florida broadcaster who retired from CBS News Miami in December after more than two decades on air, announced this week that he will seek the Democratic nomination in the competitive Miami-Dade County district.

In a campaign launch statement, Rodriguez framed his candidacy around affordability concerns, immigration and what he described as growing political division in Washington.

“I didn’t plan to run for Congress. But I cannot stay silent,” Rodriguez said.

“For 48 years, you trusted me to tell the truth and listen to your stories. Today, like so many families, I am concerned that Washington is not delivering for South Florida. My parents taught me that citizenship is not just a right — it is a responsibility. And now, I am answering that call.”

Rodriguez, who announced his candidacy Tuesday, pointed to the high cost of living in Miami-Dade, particularly housing, as a central factor in his decision to run. His campaign said he has spoken with residents across the county in recent months, and many are struggling to make ends meet.

“South Florida has now become one of the least affordable housing markets in the United States,” he said. “Too many of our children and grandchildren — including my own — are being forced to leave the community they grew up in, because the cost of living is simply too high for them to stay. We need leadership focused on real solutions — not political theater or division.”

Rodriguez’s campaign said he will focus on federal policies aimed at lowering living costs, including expanding workforce housing, reducing prescription drug prices, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and investing in infrastructure and mass transit.

Rodriguez also opposes President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which he argued contribute to higher consumer prices. He also cited concerns about immigration policy.

Rodriguez, 69, enters the race with significant name recognition in Miami-Dade after a career spanning nearly five decades in journalism. He worked at The Miami News, WPLG Local 10 and CBS4 News, becoming one of the most recognizable faces in South Florida television.

His candidacy sets up a potential high-profile contest against Salazar, herself a former Miami television journalist who worked for Telemundo before entering politics. CD 27 — which covers much of Miami, Coral Gables and parts of Miami-Dade County — is widely viewed as one of the nation’s most competitive House seats.

Rodriguez had been publicly weighing a run for several weeks before making his decision. Last month, he told news outlets he was “seriously considering” entering the race amid concerns about immigration enforcement and broader political tensions in the country.

Earlier this year, Rodriguez appeared in a political video criticizing South Florida’s Republican congressional delegation over immigration policy, arguing that leaders must speak out when constitutional rights are threatened.

“I’m the son of Cuban immigrants who came to this country for opportunity and a chance at the American dream,” he said in the video. “Secure borders matter, but so does due process and our Constitution. When our leaders stay silent as these rights are trampled on, that silence is not leadership.”

Political observers have long suggested that Rodriguez’s popularity and familiarity with local voters could make him a formidable Democratic challenger in the district.

Several prominent figures in Miami-Dade politics and civic life had encouraged him to run. Among them: former Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padrón and former WPLG Local 10 senior political journalist Michael Putney. Padrón told the Miami Herald that Rodriguez would get “a lot of support.” In comments to WLRN, Putney said Rodriguez would be a “formidable candidate.”

The Democratic Primary field already includes entrepreneur Richard Lamondin and prosecutor-turned-law professor Robin Peguero, who have been campaigning for months and raising money ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections.

CPA Alex Fornino is also running, according to Federal Election Commission records, though his fourth-quarter gains came in at just $250. Last week, Trump donor-turned-critic and documentary subject Lev Parnas announced he will also seek the CD 27 seat as a Democrat, though federal records have yet to show him filing paperwork to do so.

CD 27, one of three Florida districts that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has highlighted as “in play,” covers Miami, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, North Bay Village, South Miami, West Miami and several unincorporated areas.