Miami has a new mayor, with former County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, a Democrat, beating Republican Emilio González, a former city manager endorsed by President Donald Trump.
The run-off election result upsets the status quo in the South Florida city, which had not elected a Democratic mayor in nearly three decades.
Why It Matters
Florida has largely swung red in recent decades, but Miami has been seen as bluer, being home to many immigrant communities. That has changed in the past few years, with President Donald Trump seeing gains among those communities in the 2024 presidential election.
Tuesday’s result could be seen as a warning sign for Trump going into the 2026 midterms.
Eileen Higgins Elected Mayor of Miami
Higgins won the race Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press, after the two candidates beat 11 others on election day on November 4.
In the November 4 race, Higgins secured 36 percent of the vote, and González, who came in second, won 19 percent.
DNC Chair Ken Martin in a released statement to Newsweek on Tuesday: “Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins’ win is a testament to what Democrats can accomplish when we organize and compete everywhere, including in Miami, where Democrats have now flipped a seat that was in Republicans’ hands for nearly 30 years. While her opponent was ready to rubber-stamp Donald Trump’s inflationary agenda, Higgins remained laser-focused on lowering costs and improving the lives of Miami families. Tonight’s result is yet another warning sign to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is raising costs for working families across the country.”
The Democratic Mayors Association also shared a statement with Newsweek Tuesday night, saying, “Eileen Higgins’ victory tonight proves that Miami residents are ready for a new Democratic Mayor who will lead boldly on issues of affordability, climate action, infrastructure, and more. We are proud to stand with Mayor-elect Higgins and excited to support her vision of an inclusive, resilient, and prosperous Miami.”
What Did the Polls Show?
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, betting platform Polymarket had Higgins, who campaigned on providing affordable housing, with a 94 percent chance of winning the election while González, who worked as a director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under former President George W. Bush, had a 6 percent chance.
An APL Consulting poll of 307 voters found that Higgins had 34 percent of the vote and Gonzalez had 31 percent. This poll, conducted between November 21 and 24 on behalf of Mission Miami, a political committee backing Gonzalez’s campaign, had a margin of error of +/- 5.9 percentage points.
According to an MDW Communications poll of 307 likely voters, 49.84 percent said they would vote for Higgins while 23.78 percent planned to vote for González. However, this poll was conducted between October 14 and 18, before the November 4 election. It was also commissioned by Higgins’ political committee. The margin of error was 6 percentage points.
How the Race Could Impact the 2026 Midterms
As with any election between general and midterm elections, both parties will be taking note of the result in Miami and adjusting plans accordingly.
With the midterms looming, Republicans will be looking to continue the momentum seen in 2024 and maintain a hold on both chambers in Congress, while Democrats will be looking for any signs they could upset that majority.
Miami will likely remain a hotly contested area, with the city having been won by former Vice President Kamala Harris by one point in 2024, while Miami-Dade County flipped red for Trump.
As the second-largest city in Florida, and one which is extremely diverse, the party’s likely cannot write off the mayoral race as they might in other parts of the country, especially with Trump’s endorsement of Gonzalez.
Update 12/9/25, 8:21 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from the Democratic Mayors Association.
