Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 years

Miami Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins celebrates victory — Like the rest of Florida, 'Miami has become more Republican over the past few election cycles, making a Democratic victory all the more striking'

(Image credit: Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

What happened

Florida Democrat Eileen Higgins was elected mayor of Miami Tuesday night, defeating Republican Emilio González 59.5% to 40.5%. Higgins, a former county commissioner, will be Miami’s first woman mayor and the first Democrat to hold the position in 28 years.

She will also be the “first non-Hispanic mayor since the 1990s” in a city where “Cuban American Republicans have dominated” politically for decades, The New York Times said.

Who said what

“Affordability was a key issue throughout the campaign,” CNN said. But Higgins also “spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city” about President Donald Trump’s “immigration crackdown,” The Associated Press said, and the “many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained.”

Like the rest of Florida, “Miami has become more Republican over the past few election cycles, making a Democratic victory all the more striking,” the Times said. The position of Miami mayor is “technically nonpartisan,” the Miami Herald said, but “party politics became a major focus” after “major GOP politicians announced support for González,” including Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Last month, the Democratic National Committee said it was going “all in” on Higgins. “Both national political parties were hoping they could point to the race as a win” and a “bellwether” for 2026, said the Herald.

The results were “not a rebuke of the president or the party,” Miami-Dade GOP chair Kevin Cooper said Tuesday night, per Politico, and Democrats are trying to “read something into this that it’s not.” Trump and González “made it into a national race, and they got clobbered,” said DNC finance chair Chris Korge.

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What next?

Local races are “not predictive of what may happen at the polls next year,” the AP said, but “some local Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated” at recent Democratic wins and overperformances, including November’s off-year blue sweep. In Georgia Tuesday, Democrat Eric Gisler flipped a state House seat in a district Trump won by 12 percentage points last year.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.