Democrat Eileen Higgins Defeats Trump-Backed Candidate in Miami Mayoral Race

Democrat Eileen Higgins has secured a decisive victory in the Miami mayoral race, defeating Republican Emilio Gonzalez by approximately 19 points despite the latter receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The win represents a significant political development in a region where Trump had previously touted his appeal among Hispanic voters during his 2024 presidential campaign.

Higgins will make history as Miami’s first female mayor and the first Democrat to lead the city of 487,000 residents in nearly three decades. Her victory comes at a time when immigration and affordability have emerged as dominant issues affecting the local community.

“We need to look at all our legal options to ensure that our city police work for our neighborhoods and not on checking residents’ papers,” Higgins said in Spanish at a press conference Wednesday, signaling her intent to explore legal pathways to modify an agreement between the city and federal government that empowers police officers to conduct immigration enforcement.

The election drew unusually high participation for a mayoral race, with turnout nearly matching the November 4 general election and running 36% higher than four years ago. While both national parties showed interest in the runoff between the top two finishers from the general election, the approximately 37,000 votes cast still fell well below typical midterm election numbers.

Higgins’ victory coincided with a speech President Trump delivered in Pennsylvania focused on combating inflation, during which he claimed inflation was no longer a problem and described Democrats’ use of the term “affordability” as a “hoax” to damage his reputation.

When asked what she would tell Trump after her win, Higgins addressed the economic concerns that dominated her campaign: “When I hear what the residents have to say about affordability, it’s real. They’re facing expensive rent, expensive property insurance, costs of all sorts of things, especially even now the things they’re buying in the stores due to the tariffs.”

The new mayor-elect noted that she has occasionally found common ground with Trump, specifically praising the president for maintaining funding for a local transit project. However, she expressed concern about a significant shift in voter sentiment compared to previous elections.

“This is the first election where when I speak to our residents, it’s not just about frustration, it’s also about fear,” Higgins observed at her press briefing. “They’ve never been afraid of their government before. And now they are.”

Higgins cited a troubling example of this impact, describing a medical clinic that was forced to immediately terminate 27 employees who lost work authorization when the Trump administration stripped legal protections from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants. “That’s 27 families without a breadwinner. And a health clinic that’s short 27 employees to take care of people,” she said. “We want a strong border, we want a path to citizenship. We don’t want law-abiding people to be ejected from our country, impoverishing their family and driving our economy into ruin.”

The mayoral race also intersected with controversy surrounding plans for Trump’s presidential library. Republicans have advocated for building the facility in downtown Miami, with the Miami-Dade College board voting to donate a nearly 3-acre undeveloped lot valued at over $67 million on Biscayne Boulevard. However, the transfer has been temporarily blocked by a judge pending litigation.

Higgins has expressed skepticism about the project, stating during a debate last month that while hosting a presidential library is “an honor,” she viewed the arrangement as a “land giveaway.” She argued the state could have sold the valuable property to fund essential services that have faced budget cuts, including food aid and transit funding.

“We gave away very valuable land to a billionaire for free,” she said. “That doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Miami is also scheduled to host next year’s G20 summit at Trump’s golf club in Doral, a decision announced earlier this year with outgoing Mayor Francis Suarez, whom Higgins will succeed, present at the White House. Trump has characterized the venue as “the best location” for the international gathering, while Suarez praised such events for putting the city “on the global map.”

When asked if she feared potential retaliation from Trump, who has a history of public feuds with Democratic mayors and governors, Higgins responded confidently in Spanish: “No tengo ningún miedo de él” – “I am not scared of him, at all.”