After 28 years of Republican rule, the city elected a woman as its leader for the first time: 61-year-old Democrat Eileen Higgins. She won the mayoral election with nearly 60% of the vote, defeating Emilio González, the candidate backed by Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.
A member of the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2018, Higgins knows the city well and based her campaign on issues close to the hearts of the people, including transparency, affordable housing, and climate resilience—crucial issues for a metropolis prone to flooding—as well as immigration.
Born in Ohio and raised in New Mexico, she arrived in Miami in the 2000s. A mechanical engineer by training and a former diplomat, she was the director of the Peace Corps in Belize and has promised to get to work on her first day. She has her work cut out for her with the FIFA World Cup and the G20 summit in Doral in 2026.
In the meantime, this victory symbolizes a historic break and opens a new chapter for Miami, at the gates of President Trump’s stronghold in Palm Beach. It sends a strong signal to Republicans, who are anxiously eyeing the November 2026 midterm elections.
Election strategy and results reported by the Miami Herald
• Decisive independents: In neighborhoods where independent voters (NPA) represent more than 40% of registered voters, Higgins won 60% to 40%.
• Democratic neighborhoods: She dominated in blue strongholds, winning nearly 90% of the vote.
• Republican neighborhoods: González took about 65%, but Higgins managed to capture a third of the vote, limiting her losses.
Demographic analysis
• Cuban-American voters: González maintained her lead with around 62%, but Higgins avoided a total collapse by winning 38%.
• Black voters: Higgins won 9 out of 10 votes in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.
• White voters: She won nearly 70% of the vote.
• Hispanic voters (excluding Cubans): Similar results to Cubans, with González at 60% and Higgins at 40%.
Photo credit: Office of Commissioner Eileen Higgins (Miami–Dade County government)
