Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Republican from Florida, has received endorsements from three prominent Latin American leaders in recent weeks. These endorsements have sparked criticism from some Democrats who label this support as foreign interference in U.S. elections. Salazar is running for reelection in a district that President Donald Trump won by nearly 15 points in 2024. She has faced backlash for suggesting that the administration’s immigration policies are too extreme.
As Salazar seeks to connect with Latino voters in South Florida, she has publicly shared endorsements from right-leaning Latin American figures. Among them is Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Last week, she posted a video from Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right leader supported by Trump. De la Espriella praised Salazar, calling her ‘Colombia’s best friend in the United States Congress.’ Additionally, she shared a message from Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, who endorsed her reelection while criticizing ‘socialist leftists.’
The endorsements have drawn significant rebuke from social media users and certain Democrats, notably Gregory Meeks, the Democratic ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Meeks urged Congress to make clear that foreign electoral interference is unacceptable, describing President Milei’s endorsement as an inappropriate intrusion into democracy, emphasizing that American elections should be decided by voters in the U.S.
An official statement from Salazar dismissed Meeks’ attacks as validation of the radical socialist agenda she claims her opponent would pursue in Congress if elected.