A new poll this week shows Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins emerging as the early frontrunner in the race for City of Miami mayor.
The survey, conducted July 27–Aug. 1 by MDW Communications found Higgins with the highest name recognition among declared and rumored candidates — 74% — and a net +18 favorability rating.
“Commissioner Higgins leads among declared and rumored candidates by 21 points as the race takes shape among voters," the pollsters said in a statement.
The poll surveyed 511 likely municipal voters in Miami and did not include a margin of error. It was commissioned by Ethical Leadership for Miami, the political action committee for Higgins' campaign.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins announces she's running in Miami mayor's race
The survey also found strong opposition to a recent City Commission proposal that would have moved elections without voter approval and added an extra year to elected officials’ terms. According to the poll, 67% of voters “strongly opposed” the measure.
“This issue cuts across all demographics and partisan lens,” the pollsters wrote.
The city of Miami’s proposal to delay its general municipal election has been ruled unconstitutional by Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal.
In its ruling late last month, the court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the city had violated both its own charter and the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter when it voted to postpone the November 2025 mayoral and commission election.
The Miami City Commission on June 26 passed the ordinance delaying the balloting for one year, until November 2026, on a 3-2 vote, with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez signing the ordinance into law. The move extended the terms of Suarez and a sitting commissioner beyond their term limits.
In a July 7 op-ed in the Miami Herald, Higgins called the commission’s decision “deeply flawed,” writing that it’s “yet another clear example of why so many are fed up with the dysfunction at city hall.”
This week's poll also gauged support for a proposed lifetime term limits in office measure. It found that 60% of respondents said they “strongly support” the idea, with another 11% in favor, for a total of 71% backing. Only 20% said they opposed it.
The poll sample was 41% Democrat, 35% Republican and 24% with no party affiliation. Respondents were 58% Hispanic, 22% white, 16% Black or Caribbean, and 4% other, with 66% over the age of 55.
