OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
2:47 PM – Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Eileen Higgins, a Democrat and former Miami-Dade County commissioner, defeated Republican Emilio González, a former Miami city manager, in the Miami mayoral runoff election on Tuesday.
With neither candidate clearing the 50% threshold in the first round, Higgins, 61, and Gonzalez, 68, were forced into a runoff.
Nonetheless, Higgins went on to win the election with 59% of the vote to González’s 41%, becoming the city’s first female mayor and the first Democrat to hold the office since 1997.
González previously served as Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from 2005 to 2008 under former President George W. Bush, and he was a member of President Donald Trump’s 2024 DHS transition team.
The city of Miami tends to lean more blue in comparison to other cities in Florida, shaped in part by its exceptionally high share of foreign-born residents (57%) and its longstanding role as a major gateway for international migration.
During her campaign, Higgins emphasized this dynamic, repeatedly criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and pledging to use every available tool to protect Miami’s illegal alien communities from detention and deportation policies that residents feared could target their families and neighbors.
Meanwhile, Higgins’ victory has since energized Florida Democrats with fresh momentum heading into a fiercely contested midterm election, while Republicans remain determined to hold onto their grip on Florida — particularly in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County.
DNC Chair Ken Martin released a statement on Tuesday in relation to Miami’s election results.
“Tonight, Eileen Higgins won her race to become Miami’s next mayor, beating out her MAGA opponent. Higgins is the first Democratic-aligned candidate to win Miami’s mayoral seat in nearly 30 years. Throughout her campaign, Higgins made it clear that she was fighting for Miami families on the issues they care most about — lower costs, reliable transportation, and safe and healthy communities. While her opponent defended Donald Trump, Higgins offered a bright vision to make Miami more affordable that resonated with voters.
The DNC supported Higgins’ victory through Election Day, including a bilingual organizing blitz to support GOTV efforts and turn out Miami voters for Higgins. In total, the DNC organizing team contacted nearly 15,000 voters and recruited and trained bilingual volunteers to take action on the ground during GOTV. This is on top of the DNC’s historic monthly investments into state parties, totaling over $1 million per month, as part of our mission to organize everywhere to win anywhere — including in Florida.”
The election garnered attention from both parties, as popular liberal figureheads such as former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) campaigned or endorsed Higgins ahead of the run-off.
On the other hand, Republicans such as President Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) had also openly endorsed Gonzalez in the race.
Democrats are already touting Higgins’ win in Miami as a counter-narrative to the GOP’s 2024 sweep, one they will almost certainly wield to blunt Republican momentum as the party seeks to preserve its House and Senate majorities in the 2026 midterms.
While the Higgins campaign prominently featured affordable housing as a core issue, its sharper angle came from framing Republicans — and the Trump administration — as openly hostile to all immigrants. With Miami’s population being around 70% Hispanic and 57% foreign-born, that message appears to have resonated deeply.
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