On December 10, 2025, Democrat Eileen Higgins won the mayoral election in Miami, Florida, defeating Republican candidate Emilio Gonzalez on Tuesday, December 8. Higgins becomes the first Democrat to be elected as the mayor of the city since 1997.
Her victory marked the end of nearly 30 years of Democratic defeats in the Miami mayoral elections. Higgins defeated Gonzalez, a former city manager of Miami who had served in the transition team of President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, and will soon succeed the current mayor Francis Suarez.
In a statement released after the election results, Higgins said, “Tonight, the people of Miami made history.”
Gonzalez, on the other hand, conveyed his congratulations to Higgins on her mayoral victory.
Although technically a non-partisan race, with no political party affiliation marked on the ballot, 61-year-old Higgins ran for the election as a Democrat. In this city with a majority of Latin American residents, Higgins frequently discussed the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies, citing concerns expressed by many Miami residents about the detention of their family members.
This victory serves as a boost for the Democrats, following their better-than-expected performances in several off-year elections held in November, including winning the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as the New York City mayoral election. The party is aiming to win voter support by focusing on issues such as Americans’ affordability of living costs, with the goal of potentially flipping control of the US House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections, and even possibly the Senate.
The mayoral election in Miami on Tuesday was the second round of voting. Since neither Higgins nor Gonzalez received at least half of the votes in the November election, failing to meet the threshold for election, they had to proceed to a runoff this week.
The election attracted the participation of many prominent figures from both parties.
On the Democratic side, former US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Democratic US Senator from Arizona Ruben Gallego all campaigned or endorsed Higgins ahead of the runoff.
On the Republican side, President Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, and US Senator from Florida Rick Scott all endorsed Gonzalez.
Higgins will become the first female mayor in the history of Miami. As Florida’s second-largest city, Miami is seen as a gateway to Latin America, attracting millions of tourists every year. Its global prominence provides Higgins with an important platform for governance.