Eileen Higgins Elected Miami Mayor in Runoff

by Thomas Schaffer

Mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins waves and thanks her staff and supporters as she advances to a runoff during her election watch party at the Yotel in downtown Miami on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/TNS)

Democrat Eileen Higgins has defeated Republican Emilio Gonzalez in Tuesday's runoff election for the mayor of Miami. Higgins and Gonzalez were the top two vote-getters in the November general election; however, as no candidate received a majority of the votes, they both advanced to a runoff. Higgins is set to become the first woman to lead the city, and the first Democrat to win the mayor's race since 1993.

Higgins served as a Miami-Dade County commissioner from 2018 to 2025 and previously worked in the U.S. Department of State under Barack Obama. Gonzalez, currently a senior advisor at an asset management firm, served as the City Manager of Miami from 2017 to 2020. Prior to that, he served as the CEO of Miami International Airport and as a national security advisor in the George W. Bush Administration.

The race centered around the issues of affordability, immigration and ethics. Gonzalez focused his campaign on lowering property taxes, while Higgins campaigned on building more affordable housing in the city. On the issue of immigration, the two differed starkly. Gonzalez has said that immigration is primarily a federal issue and has supported federal immigration efforts. Higgins, however, has strongly opposed current immigration enforcement. Both candidates agreed, however, on the issue of ethics, saying that the city needs more transparency, and both have pledged to crack down on corruption in city hall.

The race has drawn significant national attention. Many prominent Republicans, including President Donald Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott, had endorsed Gonzalez. Meanwhile, several prominent Democrats had endorsed Higgins, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego.

While the city has consistently supported Democratic Presidential nominees in the past, Republicans have won every mayoral election in the city since 2009, and the current mayor, Republican Francis Suarez, won in 2021 with nearly 80% of the vote. The current runoff, however, was seen as the most competitive race in over two decades.

Ultimately, Higgins prevailed by 19 points, a commanding margin and a considerable shift to the left compared to the City’s 2024 presidential results.

Some political analysts say the results could serve as a bellwether for next year's midterm elections, in which Republicans will be defending both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. It could also be a signal of what's to come in Florida's 27th Congressional district, which voted for Donald Trump by 15 points, but Democrats see as an opportunity in 2026.

"I am deeply honored by the trust voters have placed in me to serve as the next Mayor of Miami," Higgins said in a statement shared on social media shortly after the results were released.

She will officially take office at the next regular City Commission meeting after the election results are certified.