Democrat Donna Shalala beats Republican Maria Elvira Salazar in hotly contested Florida House race
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Democrat Donna Shalala won a House seat in Florida's 27th district on Tuesday in a hotly contested race to replace retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
The 77-year-old Shalala -- who served as secretary of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration -- defeated GOP challenger, Maria Elvira Salazar, in a mostly Republican district, with 51.7 percent of the vote.
Shalala and Salazar -- a first-time candidate and former television journalist -- sparred on a number of issues, including the economy, health care and immigration.
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"I think the voters are upset with the way the country is going," Shalala said Tuesday as she cast her vote in Coral Gables, according to local station WFOR-TV.
“I think this administration is making war on pre-existing conditions and Obamacare. One hundred thousand people in this district have Obamacare and they want to keep it."
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“I am also concerned about our standing in the world," she added. "We need to continue to be a country that cares for human rights and cares for workers and their opportunities and that they be able to fulfill their dreams.”
Shalala is a former president of both the University of Miami and University of Wisconsin and was Health and Human Service Secretary under President Clinton for eight years.
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Shalala's victory is a key win for Democrats. The district was represented for decades by GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring. It is also a district where nearly 60 percent of registered voters are Latino. Shalala does not speak Spanish but managed to beat Salazar, 56, a Cuban American and former long-time TV news anchor with Telemundo.
During the campaign, Republicans sought to highlight a string of controversies at the University of Miami when Shalala was president. Shalala was also criticized by opponents last month after a congresswoman who praised the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was seemingly invited to campaign with her.
Without mentioning President Donald Trump by name, Shalala had a clear message for the White House in her victory speech.
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"Mr. President, here we come," she said to loud cheers. "Bringing us together is absolutely crucial. Some people would like to divide us. We just can't let that happen, because it's un-American."