Eileen Higgins becomes Miami’s first Democratic mayor in 30 years

MIAMI: Democratic activist Eileen Higgins has become Miami’s first Democratic mayor in three decades, achieving a historic victory as the city’s first non-Hispanic Democratic mayor since the 1990s.

Higgins’ win marks a significant shift in Florida politics, breaking a streak of Republican success in recent years. The 61-year-old, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner, adds to a series of Democratic gains nationwide that underscore increasing resistance to former US President Donald Trump as he campaigned for a second term.

Miami-Dade, one of Florida’s most populous counties, voted for Trump in record numbers in 2024, making him the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the county since 1988.

That trend reversed in Tuesday’s runoff election, where Higgins became the first Democrat in 30 years to win the Miami mayoral seat. After securing 36 percent of the vote in last month’s general election and advancing to the runoff, she defeated Republican candidate Emilio González, a former city manager.

According to the 2024 census, Miami remains a highly diverse city, with 57 percent of its residents born outside the United States, an audience with whom Higgins’ message strongly resonated.

“He [Trump] and I have very different views on how we should treat our residents, many of whom are immigrants,” Higgins said in an interview with El País this week.

“That is the strength of this community. We are an immigrant-based place. That’s our uniqueness. That’s what makes us special.”

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Miami-Dade Democratic Party chair Laura Kelley said Higgins’ win reflects growing pushback in Florida against Trump-era policies, particularly on immigration and the economy.

“The messaging for us is very local because every one of these issues affects the daily lives of people in South Florida,” she said.