Miami mayor-elect Eileen Higgins celebrates at an eye fixed birthday party after profitable the Miami mayoral runoff election, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Miami.
Lynne Sladky/AP
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Lynne Sladky/AP
MIAMI — Democrat Eileen Higgins gained the Miami mayor’s race on Tuesday, defeating a Republican counseled by way of President Donald Trump to finish her birthday party’s just about three-decade shedding streak and provides Democrats a spice up in one of the most closing electoral battles forward of the 2026 midterms.
Higgins, 61, would be the first girl to steer the town of Miami. She spoke incessantly within the Hispanic-majority metropolis about Trump’s immigration crackdown, announcing she has heard of many of us in Miami who have been fearful about members of the family being detained. She campaigned as a proud Democrat regardless of the race being formally nonpartisan and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former metropolis supervisor, who stated he referred to as Higgins to congratulate her.
“We face rhetoric from elected officers this is so dehumanizing and vicious, particularly towards immigrant populations,” Higgins informed The Related Press after her victory speech. “The citizens of Miami have been able to be performed with that.”
With just about all votes counted Tuesday, Higgins led the Republican by way of about 19 proportion issues.
The native race isn’t predictive of what might occur on the polls subsequent yr. But it surely drew consideration from the 2 primary nationwide political events and their leaders. The victory supplies Democrats with some momentum heading right into a high-stakes midterm election when the GOP is having a look to stay its grip in Florida, together with in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County. The realm has shifted more and more rightward politically lately, and the town might change into the house of Trump’s presidential library.
Miami mayor candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former metropolis supervisor sponsored by way of President Donald Trump, waves as he thank you supporters after conceding to Democrat Eileen Higgins in Miami’s mayoral runoff election, at an eye fixed birthday party, in downtown Miami, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
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Rebecca Blackwell/AP
“This night’s result’s but every other wake-up call to Republicans that electorate are bored to death with their out-of-touch schedule this is elevating prices,” stated Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic Nationwide Committee, in a remark.
Some nationally identified Democrats supported Higgins, together with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and previous Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel traveled to Miami on Sunday and Monday to rally electorate for the Democrat who served as a Miami-Dade county commissioner for seven years.
Higgins, who speaks Spanish, represented a district that leans conservative and comprises the Cuban community of Little Havana. When she first entered politics in 2018, she selected to give herself to electorate as “L. a. Gringa,” a time period Spanish audio system use for white American citizens, as a result of many of us didn’t recognized methods to pronounce her title.
“It simply is helping other people perceive who I’m, and you realize what? I’m a ‘gringa,’ so, what am I going to do, deny it?” she informed the AP.
Republicans’ nervousness grows
Republicans in Florida have discovered robust reinforce from electorate with heritage from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, as a result of they likened some participants of the Democratic birthday party’s modern wing with politicians from the governments they fled. Trump and different GOP participants have tapped into the ones sentiments over the last 8 years.
Alternatively, some native Republicans are rising more and more annoyed since November’s elections when Democrats scored wins in New Jersey and Virginia, the place each profitable gubernatorial applicants carried out strongly with nonwhite electorate.
The effects from the ones races have been perceived as a mirrored image of considerations over emerging costs and the Trump management’s competitive immigration insurance policies.
U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district is being focused by way of Democrats and comprises the town of Miami, referred to as the elections somewhere else a “warning call.” She stated Hispanics additionally need a safe border and a wholesome financial system however some reduction for “those that had been right here for years and should not have a prison report.”
“The Hispanic vote isn’t assured,” Salazar stated in a video posted on X closing month. “Hispanics married President Trump, however they’re best relationship the GOP.”
David Jolly, who’s working to constitute Democrats within the Florida governor’s race subsequent yr, stated the mayoral election used to be excellent information for Democrats in what was once a battleground state.
“Alternate is right here. It is sweeping the country, and it is sweeping Florida,” Jolly stated.
Miami mayor-elect positive factors nationwide platform
The mayoral place in Miami is extra ceremonial, however Higgins promised to execute it like a full-time task.
The town is a part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped closing yr, a dramatic development from his 30 proportion level loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
As Florida’s second-largest metropolis, Miami is thought of as the gateway to Latin The united states and draws tens of millions of visitors. Its world prominence provides Higgins a vital degree as mayor.
Her pitch to electorate incorporated discovering city-owned land which may be became reasonably priced housing and slicing needless spending.
