For the first time in three decades, a Democrat is going to be the mayor of Miami, Florida, winning Tuesday’s runoff election against her Republican opponent, who was backed by President Donald J. Trump.
Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins bested Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager who served on Trump’s Homeland Security Department transition team, in the technically nonpartisan contest that is the latest bad omen for the GOP in next year’s midterm elections.
Higgins, who will also be the city’s first female mayor, celebrated her historic win at the Miami Women’s Club, where an overjoyed crowd danced to the Stevie Wonder classic “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and chanted “Eileen!” and “Madam Mayor!” according to the Miami Herald.
Crowd is chanting “Eileen” as Higgins takes the stage at her watch party
“Well, we did it!” Higgins said after the crowd chanted “madam mayor”
“Tonight, history was made,” Higgins said pic.twitter.com/RQRzHkxHIq
— Tess Riski (@tessriski) December 10, 2025
Well, we did it!” the mayor-elect told her adoring supporters. “Tonight, history was made.”
“Our city chose a new direction,” she declared. “You chose competence over chaos, results over excuses, and a city government that finally works for you.”
Gonzalez touted Trump’s support in urging voters to turn out for him during the waning days of the contest.
Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your continued support.
As Mayor, #Miami will remain a City of prosperity, hope, freedom and eternal optimism.
Common sense voters will back common sense solutions. Let’s get out and vote today and Dec 9
Vote @Emilioformiami #SeAcaboElRelajo pic.twitter.com/FhJDBHlJcv
— Emilio T. González, Ph.D. (@emiliotgonzalez) December 7, 2025
Higgins, who has been nicknamed “La Gringa,” received the backing of the national Democratic political machine and was able to tap into voters’ concerns about affordability, an issue that has served the party’s candidates well in recent elections, including the high-visibility New York City mayoral race, which was easily won by “communist lunatic” Zohran Mamdani last month.
Not only did Higgins win, but she shellacked Gonzalez, who never knew what hit him. The Democrat easily rolled to victory by taking a whopping 59 percent of the vote, a result that was another boost for national Democrats who only a year ago were a crushed and demoralized bunch after voters rejected Kamala Harris and the party’s extremist agenda.
With her runoff victory tonight, Eileen Higgins will be Miami’s next mayor—the first woman in the city’s history and the first Democrat in nearly 30 years elected to the office.
Congrats, Mayor-elect! pic.twitter.com/lSyZ087Xvc
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) December 10, 2025
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin touted Higgins’ win as a “testament to what Democrats can accomplish when we organize and compete everywhere, including in Miami.”
“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 DNC chief said in a statement.
In November, the DNC announced that it was going “all in” on Higgins despite its normally not getting involved in mayoral contests.
“Between now and Election Day, the DNC is all-in to elect Eileen Higgins and ensure Miami families have a champion who is fighting for them, not Donald Trump,” Martin said at the time.
In addition to focusing on affordability, Higgins, who was once a Peace Corps director in Belize, also capitalized on fear from the city’s huge Hispanic population over Trump’s no-nonsense policies on illegal immigration, telling the Associated Press that “she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained.”
“We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,” the 61-year-old Democrat said. “The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.”
Even though Republicans have recently been dominant in the Sunshine State with Trump clobbering Harris by 13 points, the magic wasn’t there on Tuesday, and it gives the Democrats added momentum for the pivotal midterms, which are now less than a year away.
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