Miami elects first woman mayor, ends GOP’s 28-year control of City Hall
Kimberly Leonard
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 4:39 PM PST
4 min read
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MIAMI — Democrats can now add a major city in Donald Trump’s home state — and one set to host his future presidential library — to its list of off-cycle election wins.
In a Tuesday runoff, Miamians elected Eileen Higgins as mayor, the first woman in the city’s history to hold the job and the first Democrat in 28 years. Higgins, a former county commissioner, defeated Republican Emilio González, an ex-city manager who had the endorsement of Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Though the race and the job of mayor are nominally nonpartisan, the election generated sizable interest from national Democrats and Republicans. Higgins’ win adds to the slew of victories and close calls Democrats have seen this year, including last week’s strong performance in a House special election in Tennessee.
The election could boost messaging for Florida Democrats, who’ve faced setbacks in recent election cycles and have a 1.4 million registered voter disadvantage in this former swing state.
“Tonight’s victory shows that the pendulum is swinging in our favor and that when we commit to relentless, year-round organizing and invest in a long-term strategic field program, we can, in fact, win," FDP Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement Tuesday night.
Despite the race’s partisan themes, Higgins, a mechanical engineer and former Peace Corp director in Belize, often shunned partisanship in interviews and instead ran a campaign focused on how she would make city government work better and faster to help alleviate residents’ affordability issues.
She and González also agreed the city’s politics had been far too dynastic, dramatic and corrupt, and both called for entering a new era of stability. Miami’s international standing is set to grow in the years ahead, given the city will host FIFA World Cup matches and neighbors Doral, the site of the 2026 G-20 summit. Its population since the Covid pandemic also has surged with wealthy residents who’ve contributed to making life less affordable for longtime Miamians.
“We all want the best for the city we love,” González told POLITICO after a collegial CBS Miami debate against Higgins on Nov. 25.
Higgins went into the runoff having spent more on TV ads than her opponent, and she won 36 percent of the vote during the Nov. 4 election against 12 other candidates. She was a well-known county commissioner for eight years in a district that included the downtown area. On Nov. 4, Higgins also came in first in all five of the city’s commission districts. She replaces outgoing Mayor Francis Suarez, who briefly ran for the Republican nomination for president.
Though Trump won Miami-Dade County by 11 points in November, he narrowly lost Miami, a city of half a million people that has a slightly higher number of registered Democrats than Republicans. The circumstances of the race were also unusual, given that Miami hasn’t seen a runoff since 2001.
Ahead of the runoff, top Republicans were already working to temper expectations. Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power called it “Fool’s gold” for Democrats to claim momentum or victory in Florida, dismissing Miami as a place that “leans D.”
Still, Higgins’ victory marks a blow to the GOP, as Miami voters have sent Republicans to City Hall for nearly three decades. Miami-Dade County is also led by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a registered Democrat also in a nonpartisan job, who easily advanced to reelection in 2024 without needing to go to a runoff. Other county-wide races saw defeat across the board for Democrats in 2024, after Trump got involved in endorsements.
