Former South Florida news anchor Eliott Rodriguez announced Tuesday morning that he is running for Congress, in hopes of unseating Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar to represent Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
Rodriguez, who has called Miami-Dade home since 1968, is retired from CBS News Miami and says he is ready to step forward to serve his community. He is running as a Democrat.
“I didn’t plan to run for Congress. But I cannot stay silent,” Rodriguez said in a video announcing his candidacy. “For forty-eight 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 says the decision to run also comes from a personal sense of responsibility.
“I’m doing this because I feel if I don’t do it, I may have a hard time living with myself,” he said. “I think that we’re in a very dangerous period in our nation’s history.”
According to a press release from his campaign, Rodriguez is running a campaign “centered on lowering the high cost of living, restoring accountability in Washington, and bringing people together to deliver real results for Miami-Dade families.”
Rodriguez is the son of Cuban immigrants who migrated to the U.S. for a better future. He called his decision to run for Congress “deeply personal.”
“South Florida has now become one of the least affordable housing markets in the United States, with families here spending more of their income on rent and mortgages than almost anywhere in the country,” Rodriguez 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 said his campaign will center on federal policies aimed at easing the affordability crisis facing families in South Florida and across the country. His priorities include opposing tariffs he says unnecessarily raise consumer costs, expanding workforce housing, addressing high food prices, lowering healthcare and prescription drug costs, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and investing in infrastructure and mass transit to reduce everyday expenses for working families.
Rodriguez, who once worked at Local 10 News, says his decades connecting with the community through journalism give him a unique perspective on the district.
“First of all, because I’ve lived in this district since we moved to South Florida when I was a kid back in the 1960s, I know this district intimately,” he said. “I know every nook and cranny. I’ve talked to voters in this district. I’ve talked to people since my reporting days on the street and just living in the district. So I am the person who can flip the seat, and I’m going to do that in November.”
Rodriguez also said concerns about the direction of the country and the state of American democracy played a role in his decision to run.
“Like many Americans, I am deeply concerned about the tone of our politics, about our rights being challenged, and about a democracy that feels increasingly under strain. I am also horrified by cruel policies and enforcement tactics targeting immigrants and even American citizens” Rodriguez said. “Public service should be about protecting our freedoms, strengthening our institutions, and ensuring that government works for the people it represents.”
He added that public service should prioritize protecting freedoms and ensuring government works for the people it represents.
Rodriguez enters the race with strong name recognition and support from leaders across Miami-Dade’s civic, business and community sectors, according to his campaign. Supporters say his reputation for fairness, independence and credibility gives him the ability to unite voters around practical solutions to the region’s challenges.
The press release notes that “Florida’s 27th Congressional District is widely viewed as one of the most competitive battlegrounds in the country.” National and state Democratic leaders have identified the seat as a top pick-up opportunity and believe Rodriguez could be a strong contender in both the primary and general election.
Rodriguez is running against Democrats Alexander Forino and Robin Peguero in the Primaries.
The winner of that race will run against Salazar in the November General Election.
Salazar said she plans to wait until Democrats select their nominee before commenting on the race.
“This is the democratic system. We have to wait who the Democrats in District 27 pick as their nominee,” Salazar said. “We don’t know yet, so why should I comment on someone that we don’t even know who’s going to make it? So I welcome the system.”
Salazar, who also previously worked as a television journalist before entering politics, said her focus remains on the priorities she promised voters.
“My focus is on what District 27 needs — two things, the economy and immigration,” Salazar said.
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