For the first time since 1997, Miami has elected a Democratic mayor: Eileen Higgins, a former county commissioner, reports The New York Times. In the runoff, she secured 59% of the vote, defeating former mayor Emilio Gonzalez, who won 41% and previously served on the Trump-era transition team at the Department of Homeland Security. Higgins will replace the incumbent mayor, Francis Suarez, a Republican.
Democrats hope this campaign will serve as a marker ahead of the 2026 midterms. Although Miami’s municipal elections are formally nonpartisan, Trump endorsed Gonzalez, while the Democratic Party backed Higgins. Local races do not always mirror national sentiment or predict shifts in congressional districts, yet senior Democrats were quick to highlight Higgins’s decisive showing.