Rodriguez Campaign Challenges Garcia's Role in Dade Recount
With a 0.46 percent margin, the District 27 race triggers a mandatory recount, prompting questions about the supervisor's family ties.
By Sakura Novak ·
The Miami-Dade County canvassing board begins certifying results for District 27 on Friday morning. The process includes the review of 202 vote-by-mail ballots currently in the curing stage. This action follows a formal request from the campaign of Elliot Rodriguez demanding that Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia step aside from the process.
Garcia announced that the margin between Rodriguez and his opponent, Maria Elvira Salazar, is 0.46 percent. That figure falls below Florida's 0.5 percent threshold for automatic recounts. The raw vote difference between the two candidates is approximately 1,100 ballots. No official winner has been declared yet, though Salazar has already claimed victory.
Rodriguez's campaign argues that Garcia has conflicts of interest. Specifically, they state that her son-in-law, a lawyer, is representing Salazar in the recount matter. The campaign released a statement Thursday asking for immediate confirmation of this family relationship. They noted that the relationship raises concerns about Garcia making decisions affecting a candidate represented by a close family member.
Juan Mendieta, the deputy supervisor of elections, told NBC6 that Garcia will not recuse herself. Salazar responded to the dispute in a statement posted on social media Thursday evening. She accused her opponent of acting like an election denier and trying to turn the process into a political circus because he dislikes the outcome.
The Rodriguez campaign maintained in its statement that a recount is not a controversy. They described it as the law working exactly as written. The canvassing board will proceed with the certification process this week as the final ballots are reviewed.
