Republican candidates Carlos Jimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar beat two Democratic incumbents for the U.S. House in Florida.
Gimenez beat out incumbent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Salazar beat out Democrat incumbent Donna Shalala of Florida’s 27th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press and WSVN. The two faced off in a rematch after Shalala won in 2018. Shalala previously served as Health and Human Services secretary under President Bill Clinton, while Salazar is a journalist who focused on Latin America, according to CBS 4 Miami.
Trump also endorsed Salazar, saying she was “badly needed in Washington.” (RELATED: Woman Flies Back To Florida, Votes In-Person After Her Mail-In Ballot Never Arrived)
Maria is badly needed in Washington. She is an outstanding person who truly loves her Country and her State. Her opponent, @DonnaShalala, is a political hack who is a puppet of Nancy Pelosi. She does nothing for Florida. Maria has my Complete & Total Endorsement! https://t.co/4GumAgOA3J
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2020
Over in Florida’s 26th congressional district, Gimenez had 52% of the vote over Mucarsel-Powell with 95% of precincts reporting, according to CBS 4 Miami. Gimenez, the mayor of Miami-Dade, celebrated his win.
“Today was a rejection of extremism, today was a rejection of partisanship and today was a rejection of socialism,” Gimenez said, per the same report. “This country needs to start to work together because it has threats both inside and outside.”