Miami voters elected Democrat Eileen Higgins mayor Tuesday, ending a nearly three-decade drought for the party that defeated Donald Trump-backed Republicans in the majority-Hispanic city.
Although the race was officially nonpartisan, the race took on national significance, pitting Higgins against Republican Emilio Gonzalez, a former Miami governor, in a race closely watched by both parties.
Recommended stories
1 List of itemsend of list
The victory comes on the heels of recent electoral successes for Democrats heading into next year’s midterm elections.
Here’s what we know:
What were the final results of the Miami election?
As of Tuesday night, Higgins led Republican Gonzalez 59% to 41%, according to preliminary results from the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections. She is the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.
He won 35% of the vote in the first round on Nov. 4, to Gonzalez’s 19%, and won Tuesday’s runoff.
“Tonight, the people of Miami made history,” Higgins said in a statement. “Together, we have turned the page on years of chaos and corruption and opened the door to a new era for our city.”
Higgins’ victory adds to a string of recent Democratic wins, including races in New Jersey and Virginia, as the party heads into the 2026 midterm elections. This trend led to strong results in November’s off-year elections and a strong showing in Tennessee’s special House election this month.
Although Miami’s mayor has limited formal powers, his role is highly symbolic, representing a city with a large Latino population at the center of the nation’s immigration debate.
Home to approximately 500,000 residents, Miami is the second most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville. In recent elections, the Democratic Party’s victories have become more conspicuous as the country leans toward the Republican Party. Trump had defeated Democratic rival Kamala Harris in Miami-Dade County in the 2024 presidential election.
Hispanic or Latino residents make up approximately 70% of Miami’s population. Across Miami-Dade County, approximately 69 to 70 percent of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and this demographic majority largely shapes the region’s cultural and political identity.
mayor of miami
Fully reported unofficial results:
🔵 Eileen Higgins – 21,550 (59.3%)
🔴 Emilio Gonzalez – 14,799 (40.7%)⬅️ 19% swing to the left from the 2024 presidential election pic.twitter.com/nwnrCnn7Gr
— VoteHub (@VoteHub) December 10, 2025
What are the key issues of this campaign?
Immigration was a key issue in Higgins’ campaign.
In Miami, he often talked about President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and said he heard from residents who were worried that their families were being detained. He described the election as a referendum on the president’s policies, raising concerns about due process.
More than 200,000 people have been arrested since President Trump began his immigration crackdown in January. At least 75,000 people arrested as part of President Trump’s war on gang members and criminals had no criminal records, according to new data. He deported hundreds of immigrants and halted asylum and green card applications.
The Trump administration had also ordered the arrest of several students who took part in protests against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Several of them were subsequently released by the court.
The differences between the candidates were clear in last month’s debate. Higgins called Miami’s immigration enforcement “cruel and inhumane” and criticized the detention center opened by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
In the same debate, Gonzalez, an opponent, said he supports federal law enforcement rounding up “people who commit crimes.”
“While I support crushing immigrant criminals, I cannot in good conscience defend rapists and murderers in a fight with the federal government,” Gonzalez added.
Mr. Higgins reiterated his message in an interview with El Pais newspaper this week, drawing a sharp contrast to Mr. Trump’s approach.
“He and I have very different views on how we should treat our residents, many of whom are immigrants,” she said.
“That’s the strength of this community. We’re an immigrant-centered place. That’s what makes us unique. That’s what makes us special.”
Affordability was also a big issue in the race. Higgins focused his campaign on local concerns such as housing costs, while Gonzalez called for eliminating Miami’s homestead property tax and streamlining business licensing.
“My opponent is into building, building, building,” Gonzalez told CNN. “She wants to build skyscrapers on every corner and call it affordable housing, which is a mistake because truly affordable housing is rare.”
In a speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, President Trump raised the issue of affordability, which Democrats have emphasized. He blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the rise in prices.
The cost of living has been an issue in recent gubernatorial and mayoral elections in which the Democratic Party has made significant gains, including the highly watched New York mayoral race. The Democratic victory shows that this issue resonates with voters.
🚨Miami voting is now open!🚨
It’s time to vote and usher in a new era of good governance, true affordability, and putting families over special interests.
Let’s go, Miami! 🇺🇸🌴 pic.twitter.com/AHVCIohCFj
— Emilio T. Gonzalez, Mayor of Miami (@Emilioformiami) December 9, 2025
Who is Eileen Higgins?
Higgins will be Miami’s first non-Hispanic mayor in nearly 30 years. Born in Ohio and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from Cornell University.
Before becoming mayor, Higgins represented a politically conservative district that includes Little Havana, a famous Cuban enclave.
She has accepted the nickname “La Gringa,” a term commonly used in Spanish to refer to white Americans.
Her professional background spans international development and consulting, with a focus on infrastructure and transportation projects throughout Latin America. She went on to serve as a Peace Corps country director in Belize and then as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, working on diplomatic and economic development efforts in countries such as Mexico and South Africa.
After working in government, Higgins returned to the private sector and eventually became involved in local politics in Miami.
Eileen Higgins will become Miami’s next mayor after winning tonight’s runoff election. She will be the first woman in the city’s history and the first Democratic councilor in nearly 30 years.
Congratulations, Mayor-elect! pic.twitter.com/lSyZ087Xvc
— Democratic Party (@TheDemocrats) December 10, 2025
