Florida judge denies campaign lawsuit to remove elections supervisor from recount

U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz on Monday denied the Rodriguez campaign's motion to remove Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia from the recount in Florida's Congressional District 27. The Rodriguez campaign had claimed bias and conflict of interest tied to Garcia's public comments and her son-in-law's role as Salazar's recount attorney. Republican incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar was leading Democrat Eliott Rodriguez by less than half a percent as Miami-Dade workers moved from Election Day ballots through mail and early voting ballots.¹

Workers were set to finish counting early voting ballots to conclude the recount.¹

What this means for District 27 voters

The county canvassing board, made up of the supervisor of elections, a county court judge and the chair of the county commission, counts mail ballots, rules on provisional ballots, certifies the county results and reports them to the state.² County canvassing boards must file official returns by noon on the 13th day after the election, November 16.³ The Elections Canvassing Commission meets at 8 a.m. on November 17, 2026, the 14th day after the election, to certify the results.⁴