Federal judge orders emergency hearing an hour before recount in FL's District 27 race

A federal judge has scheduled an emergency hearing related to concerns brought by one of the candidates in the highly contested race for U.S. House District 27 on Monday.

The hearing is scheduled just one hour before the recount process begins to determine a winner between incumbent republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and democrat Eliott Rodriguez.

At last count, Salazar leads the race by 1,090. Salazar already claimed victory, but no official winner has been decided yet.

Members of the Miami-Dade County Canvassing Board, of which Garcia is a part, will oversee the recount.

Rodriguez is asking the court to remove the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections from the recount process, arguing she has conflicts of interest. His campaign demands that Garcia recuse herself from the canvassing board, claiming the conflicts include that her son-in-law, a lawyer, is representing Salazar in the recount matter.

According to Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, the recount was ordered by the Florida Secretary of State, and it will start at 10 a.m. at the Miami-Dade Election Headquarters in Doral.

Rodriguez released a statement on the recount that reads in part:

“I appreciate that the legally required machine recount in Florida’s 27th Congressional District is moving forward Monday, November 9, 2026, at 10am EST.

“I have always believed in the sanctity of the vote and the integrity of our democratic process. Every eligible voter who cast a lawful ballot deserves to have that vote accurately counted, regardless of whom they supported.

“A recount is not a denial of an election result or a challenge to democracy. It is an important safeguard established by Florida law to ensure accuracy and public confidence when an election is exceptionally close — as this one currently is."