In a midterm election filled with uncertainties, one thing has remained consistent; Republicans’ path to a House majority runs through Florida.
Republicans could gain as many as four seats in the state alone, gaining on their current sixteen-seat majority out of Florida’s twenty-seven Congressional seats.
For the most part, Florida Republicans are on the attack, threatening to take seats previously held by Democrats, including Democratic Gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist’s Congressional seat in the 13th District.
One Republican incumbent in the state has found herself on the defensive.
Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fl. represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
She is facing Florida State Senator Annette Taddeo, D-Fl. in the general election. Some polls have shown Taddeo within striking distance of Salazar, including a poll released by Floridians for Economic Advancement in late July that showed Salazar with a 5 percent lead.
BIG NEWS! Our race is officially the only toss up race in Florida. We need your help to win this important election and return real representation to Florida’s 27th Congressional District. pic.twitter.com/btIFRsGrG6
— Annette Taddeo (She/Her/Ella) (@Annette_Taddeo) September 12, 2022
While Taddeo’s team is bullish on her chances at beating Rep. Salazar, the “Inside Politics” panel at CNN said on Wednesday that most polling looks good for Salazar and that she is in ‘pretty good shape’ to win her race.
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They also said it would be ‘difficult’ for Democrats to hold on to a majority in the midterm elections.
CNN: “Polling is showing that South Florida Congresswoman María Salazar is in pretty good shape…making it difficult for the Democrats to maintain their majority”
It’s because I never stop fighting for my community in Congress! #FL27🇺🇸
pic.twitter.com/soOiayIzfc— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) September 21, 2022
Taddeo chose to run against Salazar after attempting to run for the Democratic nomination for Florida Governor. She dropped out after falling significantly behind Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried in the polls.
“We are at a critical point in our country,” Taddeo told CBS News Miami. “And frankly, I am not going to stand on the sidelines and not go in there and fight, especially after what we saw in Buffalo and Uvalde.”
Taddeo has been running an aggressive campaign rife with attacks against Salazar, including a video ad she released where she called Salazar a ‘MAGA Republican’ and went after her abortion record.
“I’m Sen. Annette Taddeo,” the ad begins. “My family came to this country seeking freedom — freedom from government control, freedom from violence. This election will determine if we remain a beacon of freedom or we become a socialist dictatorship.
“MAGA Republican María Salazar supports government control over women’s health care decisions, even in cases of rape or incest. I’m Annette Taddeo, and I approve this message because freedom is worth fighting for.”
Salazar, for her part, has focused on pointing out Biden’s failures and staying on message about immigration and the economy. Salazar used the recent controversy where DeSantis transported migrants to Martha’s Vineyard to highlight the ongoing immigration crisis.
“All the governors are desperate. Not only in the red states, in the blue states too, as I’m sure you reported. Every time a group of migrants come in, they have to declare an emergency. This is a major embarrassment, and the only people who are to blame is the Biden administration,” she continued. “They have not acknowledged that we have a major problem. My people are being used as pawns. Like the whole Democrat system has been using for the last 35 years.” Salazar said.
Other stories you may want to read:
The lamentations of the Three Amigos, Crist, Fried, and Taddeo
Annette Taddeo flops statewide, returns to backyard
