On a rainy Tuesday in Miami, voters elected a very different candidate to head city hall: its first woman mayor ever and first Democrat in nearly 30 years – Eileen Higgins.
Higgins is also the first non-Cuban American in years to run the city, which is roughly 70% Hispanic or Latino.
Voters at the polls said the reason for the shift was simple: It’s the economy, estupido!
“Everybody’s suffering,” said 60-year-old Coconut Grove resident Alex Berg, a Colombian Republican who voted for Higgins. “People who are retiring, people closer to my age already have property taxes they can’t pay, and younger people can’t afford housing.”
Higgins, who speaks Spanish and is referred to by many voters as “La Gringa,” served seven years representing parts of the city on the Miami-Dade commission, including the Cuban enclave of Little Havana. She beat former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez in a landslide – 59% to 41%.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris only won the city by one point last year. She was the first Democratic presidential candidate to lose the county since 1988.
This race also provided a snapshot on where Hispanics stand on President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies, which Cuban American restaurant owner Jose Moure – who voted for Higgins – says have affected the economy as much as any other issue.
“I’ve seen customers drop,” said Moure, who owns Manolo & Rene Grill downtown. “We’re open 24 hours and we’ve seen a lot less tourism. Fewer people are drinking or hanging out. Everybody’s on edge.”
What does this mean for the midterms?
On the ground, Higgins and Gonzalez ran on many of the same issues – mainly affordability and rooting out city hall corruption. However, an endorsement from Trump and other leading state Republicans including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott for Gonzalez sparked national interest in the nonpartisan race. Democrats tried to show they could claw back the gains Republicans made with Latinos after key November wins in New Jersey and Virginia ahead of next year’s midterms.
Following Trump’s backing of Gonzalez, the Democratic National Committee – which usually does not get involved in local elections – threw its weight behind Higgins. Endorsements later started piling from key figures in the party like former transportation secretary and former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel campaigned with her.
“Eileen inspires confidence – she is a doer,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who was the county’s first-ever woman mayor. “She is a person that focuses on things that really matter to people in the community. She’s in a nonpartisan role, and people came to support her across party lines.”
Florida International University Latin American affairs professor and pollster Eduardo Gamarra said this “early referendum” on the Trump administration shows that if Republicans continue attaching themselves to the president’s economic policy, it might be costly for them in future elections with Hispanics.
“I think the majority of [the results with Hispanics] don’t really have to do with immigration,” said Gamarra. “They’re now associating tariffs with price increases. It’s no longer the excuse that Biden’s economy doesn’t work. Now it’s Trump’s economy, and I think voters are quickly seeing that.”
Richard Lamondin, a Democrat and business owner who is looking to challenge Miami GOP congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar in 2026, said the economy is what will continue to bring out voters in future elections.
“Here in Miami, and also with Latinos in general, many of them are small business owners,” said Lamondin. “And they’re facing the same issues with tariffs, with these immigration raids, and with a difficulty in finding talent… I think the party matters less right now than the fact that there are new faces that are going to talk about the many issues that are affecting Latinos, which are their wallets.”
In a statement, Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair Laura Kelley laid out what this election means for the future of a party that has been struggling in the past few election cycles:
“This election underscores a fundamental truth: Miami-Dade Democrats are in a strong position to deliver for residents who are exhausted by Trump-created chaos: ICE raids; mass indiscriminate deportations; economic unpredictability, the authoritarian impulses.”
Andreina Kissane of the Venezuelan American Republican Alliance said that after nearly 30 years of Republicans at the helm of Miami, Hispanic voters “were naturally looking for a change.”
“Personally I was very happy with [Mayor Francis Suarez] but unfortunately, the city has also become very expensive for residents, and meaningful changes needed to be implemented,” Kissane added. “Many Latino families are relocating to more affordable cities… Republicans need to work more closely within cities to better connect with residents.”
A crowd of about 100 people gathered at the Meraki Greek Bistro downtown for Gonzalez’s watch party. Shortly before 7:30 p.m. Gonzalez took a phone call outside with Higgins, telling supporters afterwards, “I just got off the phone with our new mayor.”
“We’re going to get behind you,” Gonzalez said he told her on the phone.
“We will lead a city that belongs to everyone,” Higgins told the crowd at her Tuesday night election watch party at the Miami Woman’s Club. “A city where seniors can stay, younger people can build a future and immigrants feel welcomed and respected.”
