Havana/Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado expressed his support to the re-election of the Republican congresswoman of Cuban origin María Elvira Salazar, who aspires to a fourth term in the United States House of Representatives for the 27th district of Florida. The support came through a video broadcast this week on the legislator’s social networks, a few weeks before the November 3 elections.
“Today I want to recognize and express our support for María Elvira Salazar for something very specific: she has been a firm and loyal ally to the cause of freedom in Venezuela,” says the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
“You understood from the first moment, María Elvira, that a free Venezuela is vital for the national security of the United States. When others have doubted, you have remained firm in your position; when others have remained silent, you have raised your voice,” she adds.
“You understood from the first moment, María Elvira, that a free Venezuela is vital for the national security of the United States”
Machado also had words for the Cuban exile, of which Salazar is a part. “67 years ago Fidel Castro took power by force of arms and turned Cuba into a communist dictatorship,” he recalled. From that tragedy emerged a community that has demonstrated for decades “the value of freedom and democracy to transform lives.”
The leader assures Salazar: “The Venezuelan people are counting on you and you know that you have our support.”
The congresswoman accompanied the publication with a thank you message. “The freedom of Venezuela has never been a distant cause for me. From Miami to Washington, I have defended it with conviction. Therefore, María Corina’s support for my re-election deeply honors me,” he wrote.
“Thank you, María Corina, for your trust. The Venezuelan people will always have an ally in me to accompany this new stage and defend their right to decide their future in freedom,” added the legislator.
“Thank you, María Corina, for your trust. The Venezuelan people will always have an ally in me to accompany this new stage and defend their right to decide their future in freedom”
In another recent publication, Salazar supported Machado’s proposal to hold presidential elections in Venezuela on July 24, 2027. “A transition cannot be permanent,” he wrote and called for a “serious, transparent and guarantees for everyone” process.
Machado’s statement comes at a delicate moment for Salazar, who in September harshly criticized Donald Trump’s immigration policy. The congresswoman assured that the operations against immigrants had gone too far and warned that many Hispanics who contributed to the 2024 Republican victory felt betrayed.
The president of the United States responded on September 18 from the Oval Office: “I managed to get her elected. Without me, she would not have been elected.” Trump insisted that he did not share Salazar’s position on the border, although he then assured that he continued to support it. Days later, the legislator described as “fantastic” a conversation they both had.
The differences with Trump take on special importance for Salazar in Florida’s 27th district, where the 74% of the population is Hispanic. According to a Tulchin Research surveycarried out in September among 600 potential voters and financed by a Democratic committee, the congresswoman obtained 47% of voting intention, compared to 46% for Democrat Eliott Rodriguez. The difference of just one percentage point leaves the race in a technical tie, according to that poll.
In 2023, Salazar and other congressmen presented a resolution to recognize the Venezuelan leader as a legitimate opposition candidate.
Machado’s support has a history of a political relationship of several years. In December 2023, Salazar, along with fellow Cuban-American congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez, presented a resolution to recognize the Venezuelan leader as a legitimate opposition candidate for the Presidency.
In 2024, the legislator rejected Machado’s replacement by another candidate after Chavismo prevented her electoral participation. He also celebrated his Nobel Peace Prize 2025 and, last July, He demanded guarantees for his return to Venezuela.
