Pastelito Gate

News · Heat 7.7 / 10 · 2 shows · 14m airtime

On October 30, a video of congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez at a Miami Cuban bakery with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries drew a socialism attack from Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, who said he and his socialist friends turned a small business into a political prop. Rodriguez, running against Salazar in Florida's 27th District, responded on air, disavowing socialism and communism and saying a paid social media influencer started the controversy; he also noted the DCCC placed him on its Red to Blue list. The next day Salazar released a video outside the White House distancing herself from Trump's deportation policy, shifting the argument toward her own national positioning.

How 2 podcasts covered it

1. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-30 (2:39 to 12:26)
   Interviews Rodriguez on the bakery backlash
   Interviews Eliott Rodriguez about the bakery video backlash, letting him disavow socialism and blame a paid influencer, then pivots to the Democrats' first-100-hours plan and a vote-everybody-out pitch.
   New angle: Rodriguez says a paid social media influencer started the bakery controversy and that the DCCC put him on its Red to Blue list.
2. Global News Podcast, 2026-10-31 (10:59 to 14:57)
   Reports Cuban-American buyer's remorse in Miami
   Reports from Miami on Cuban-American buyer's remorse over deportations, with Salazar distancing herself from the policy in a video filmed outside the White House and Rodriguez campaigning against it. Adds the Salazar video and the revocation of parole for about 300,000 Cubans.
   New angle: Salazar released a video outside the White House distancing herself from Trump's deportation policy.