CD 27 primary shrinks as Democrats, dollars line up behind Eliott Rodriguez

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The Democratic Congressional primary in District 27 is looking less and less like a race and more like a coronation.

Just a month into his campaign for Congress, veteran TV journalist Eliott Rodriguez is already attracting the kind of support that usually takes months — sometimes years — to build.

And the message coming from the Democratic establishment in Florida’s 27th Congressional District is getting louder: This is the guy.

According to a press release issued Tuesday, Rodriguez has raised $312,000 in his first three weeks, averaging more than $100,000 a week — the kind of early fundraising that makes donors pay attention and rivals reconsider their life choices.

The Cook Political Report also downgraded the rating of the district earlier this month from solid Republican to likely Republican “after Democrats secured a particularly strong candidate.” Their words. Not Ladra’s.

There’s also that campaign-funded poll from last month — there’s been non independent polling — showing Rodriguez with a +27-point lead in the August Democratic primary to take on Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar in November. Take that with the usual grain of Miami salt, but the optics matter more than the methodology. Because in politics, perception doesn’t just follow momentum — sometimes it creates it.

Read related: Eliott Rodriguez’s own poll shows early primary lead in his congressional bid

And then came the endorsements.

Not one or two polite nods. Not a handful of former officials looking for relevance. A pile-on.

“Democrats are coalescing around Eliott Rodriguez because he’s known, he’s trusted and they believe he is the Democrat with the best chance to beat Maria Elvira Salazar, which is the only that matters in this election,” said pollster and Democratic strategist Fernand Amandi.

The long list of current and former elected officials, judges, ambassadors, party insiders, and civic heavyweights — including names that carry weight in South Miami, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Hialeah, and beyond — formally lined up behind Rodriguez this week.

But the list came with asterisks: Some of those names weren’t always his. Several endorsers were previously backing other Democratic candidates — and have now switched sides. That includes former State Reps. Annie Betancourt and JC Planas, former State Rep. and sitting Miami-Dade School Board Member Joseph Geller, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez, Key Biscayne Councilman Frank Caplan, former Key Biscayne Vice Mayor Allison McCormick, former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey, and former Pinecrest Councilman James McDonald, all of whom had endorsed prosecutor and Jan. 6 investigator Robin Peguero before Rodriguez jumped in.

That’s not just support. That’s consolidation. And consolidation, this early, is what turns a crowded primary into a shrinking one.

Because let’s not forget what already happened.

Before Rodriguez even finished his first month in the race, Richard Lamondin — who had been campaigning for a year — quietly exited the congressional contest and pivoted to a run for state Senate against Alexis Calatayud, a move widely seen as recognition that Rodriguez had entered the race with a gravitational pull few candidates could match.

Former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell — a onetime congressional wannabe himself — called it the right thing to do.

“He is being a team player for the Democratic Party,” Russell posted on his popular social media. “Too often what happens is multiple Democrats line up for the same seat and beat the crap out of each other in a primary where only one of them prevails and usually ends up pretty beat up going into the general.

Read related: The Great Pivot: Richard Lamondin hops to Senate race vs Alexis Calatayud

“There were several candidates already in this congressional seat to run against Maria Elvira Salazar. What Richard has done after working for over a year and raising over $1 million is graciously stepped aside for the team,” Russell said. “And he is now running in a seat, which does not have a competitor, and he has a good positioning to come into the general and win for the Democrats in Florida.

When people start leaving the race before the first major debate, it tells you something.

When donors start shifting allegiance before the first major filing deadline, it tells you even more.

And when respected Democratic figures — including sitting State Sen. Shevrin Jones (who was supporting Lamondin), former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, former Congressman Ron Klein, who chairs the Jewish Democratic Council of America, and longtime civic leader Alberto Ibargüen — start stacking their names behind one candidate this early, it speaks volumes.

Among the other backers are former Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron, former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, former Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick, former Pinecrest Mayor Evelyn Greer, former Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn, former Cutler Bay Mayor Peggy Bell, former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, retired 11th Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farina and former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff.

“These are people who are respected in the community, people I have the utmost respect for,” Rodriguez told Political Cortadito. “People who are concerned about what is happening in our country, in our community, and the fact that our congresswoman is doing nothing about it.

“It shows people are energized and believe this is an important election,” Rodriguez said. “Democrats are sick and tired of losing elections. I’m in it to win it.”

But this isn’t just about endorsements. It’s about pressure.

Pressure on donors. Pressure on elected officials. And, por supuesto, pressure on remaining candidates.

Some candidates double down. Some wait for the next filing deadline. Some quietly start looking for Plan B.

Read related: The CD27 Democratic primary may not be as done as some people think

Peguero’s campaign manager, Abia Khan, said he wasn’t going anywhere.

“The dynamics have shifted for the primary. It certainly is a lot more competitive,” Khan told Political Cortadito.

“But the momentum is on Robin’s side and he’s continuing to out-fundraise the field and consolidate support among national and local leaders,” said Khan, who is largely credited with helping flip Virginia House District 75 blue last November.

“People are beyond sick and tired of the establishment. They want a new generation of leaders who are rooted in public service. People are looking for something different.”

Khan said Peguero, who has been on the ground campaigning for nine months, was open to a forum or debate where the contrasts between him and Rodriguez would be clear. “Robin is going to show that he’s the best choice not just for the nomination, but to go to Congress.”

The question isn’t really whether Rodriguez has momentum. He clearly does.

The question now is: Does momentum turn into inevitability — or backlash?

Because Miami voters have seen this movie before: The insiders pick early. The donors follow. The field thins.

And sometimes — not always — voters decide they’d like to make the final decision themselves.

This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.