Two Democrats hoping to secure a place on the General Election ballot in Florida’s 27th Congressional District are each promoting new internal polling, which paints two very different pictures of where the race stands as Summer begins.

Eliott Rodriguez’s internal poll of 300 likely Primary voters, conducted June 15–18 by consulting firm Bendixen & Amandi International, found him crushing rival Robin Peguero by 26 percentage points, 54% to 28%.

Meanwhile, an internal poll of 400 likely Primary voters GBAO Strategies conducted for Peguero found that after voters heard “biographical information” about both candidates, Peguero came out ahead of Rodriguez, 46% to 43%.

That’s well within the Peguero survey’s 4.9-percentage-point margin. Rodriguez’s poll carried a 5.6-point margin of error.

The massive difference between the two findings raises questions about polling methodology and what information voters heard before being asked their preference, and only one of the two campaigns categorically said it kept things neutral.

Rodriguez’s Campaign Manager, Fernand Amandi, told Florida Politics that his firm’s pollsters did not provide negative information about Peguero to respondents before capturing the reported numbers.

Peguero’s Campaign Manager, Abia Khan, initially did not respond to a question about whether his campaign did or didn’t. After this story was published, she Peguero pollsters did not provide negative information about Rodriguez to respondents.

Rodriguez’s campaign also released demographic breakdowns, showing him ahead across several groups: 64% support among Cuban American voters, 61% among Black voters, 61% among seniors, 57% among voters aged 50 to 64, 56% among men, and 52% among women.

In Rodriguez’s poll, 18% of likely Democratic Primary voters said they were still undecided, while Peguero’s poll found 11% of respondents had yet to make up their minds.

Peguero, a former federal prosecutor and Jan. 6 Committee investigator, filed for CD 27 in July 2025 and has since reported raising more than $900,000. He carries endorsements from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Latino Victory Fund, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, Maryland U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, state Rep. Ashley Gantt, civil rights historian Marvin Dunn, and a roster of current and former South Florida elected officials.

Rodriguez, a multiple Emmy- and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning former broadcast journalist, launched his campaign in March. He’s since reported raising more than $600,000 and notching endorsements from more than 60 elected officials and community leaders.

Three noted political prognosticators — CQ/Roll Call, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report — all elevated Democrats’ chances to flip CD 27 after Rodriguez entered the race.

The new polling figures follow prior competing numbers released by the campaigns in March. A survey Bendixen & Amandi conducted that month found Rodriguez held a 27-point lead over Peguero (43% to 16%), with 27% of voters undecided.

A poll conducted for Peguero’s campaign around the same time found a much closer contest, with Rodriguez ahead by just 3 points, 43% to 40%, and 13% of voters undecided.

Rodriguez and Peguero are competing for the right to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar in the Nov. 3 General Election. Salazar faces an underfunded Primary challenge from Michael Arias.

CD 27 covers Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, West Miami and part of Miami south of the Dolphin Expressway.

The District is one of three in Florida that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has highlighted as “in play.”

Salazar won re-election to a third term in 2024 with 60% of the vote, a margin of nearly 21 points.

The Democratic Primary is scheduled for Aug 18.

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Editor’s note: This report was updated to include a response about biased messaging from pollsters for Peguero’s campaign.