Early voting begins Friday in Miami's most competitive mayoral election in more than 20 years.
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., early voters in the city can head to the polls to pick between ex-City Manager Emilio Gonzalez and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins. Early voting will continue through Sunday.
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The two candidates shared the majority of votes on Election Day in November — Higgins leading with nearly 36% of the vote, and Gonzalez coming in second with 19.5%. Because no one candidate received more than half the vote, the frontrunners triggered a runoff which ends Dec. 9.
Though the Miami mayor's seat is nonpartisan, both candidates have positioned themselves on opposite sides of the political aisle. Gonzalez, who formerly worked as the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under President George W. Bush, received an endorsement from President Donald Trump in November. Higgins, meanwhile, has aligned herself with Democratic party groups like the anti-gun nonprofit Giffords PAC.
Gonzalez bills himself as the only candidate who is not a career politician, having never held public office. He supports President Trump's immigration policies and has advocated for more decorum and less corruption in city government.
Higgins touts her record on the Miami-Dade County Commission fighting on behalf of public transit, the environment and LGBTQ+ protections. Like her opponent, she aims to make City Hall more functional and do away with commission meeting drama that has plagued the city for years.
Early voting at designated polling place will run from Friday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Dec. 7. On Saturday and Sunday, votes can be cast between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Election day is Tuesday, Dec. 9.
