Trump-backed Republican survives primary after bucking him on deportations

Incumbent Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar advanced Tuesday against Michael Arias in Florida’s 27th Congressional District.

Miami attorney Arias is a former state prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney who ran as a political outsider focused on fiscal responsibility, affordability and government accountability.

He campaigned on reducing the federal deficit and inflation, lowering South Florida’s cost of living — including housing and property-insurance costs — and increasing funding for public safety.

Trump-backed Salazar has held the seat for more than five years after defeating Democratic incumbent Donna Shalala in 2020 and flipping the district red.

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Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., leaves a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on developments regarding Cuba, including the indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro, May 20, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The Cuban American, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, emerging as a key congressional ally of the Trump administration’s Latin America agenda.

Salazar pushed to cut off Venezuelan oil revenue and later backed the administration’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

While she supports the majority of Trump’s major priorities, she differs when it comes to immigration.

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U.S. Rep Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., asks questions of Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on The Biden Administration's Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy on Capitol Hill in Washington March 10, 2021.  (Ken Cedeno/Pool via Reuters )

Salazar has taken a more moderate approach to immigration than some of her hardline GOP colleagues, pairing strong border enforcement with a pathway to legal status for qualifying immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. 

While her immigration stance puts her at odds with the Trump administration’s push for widespread deportations, she still remains firmly in Trump’s corner.

Arias took a similar stance on border enforcement and deporting those here illegally but has called for deportations to be carried out in a more "humane matter" and focused on violent criminals.

Florida’s 27th District covers major Florida counties such as Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

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Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., arrives for a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club June 10, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The district has one of the largest foreign-born populations in the country, with roughly 428,000 foreign-born residents — about 54% of the district’s population — more than double Florida’s statewide rate, according to 2024 U.S. Census data.