2025 Election: Miami swings left, rejects Trump, to elect Eileen Higgins as first Democrat mayor

For the first time in decades a Democrat, Eileen Higgins, has won the mayoral race in the City of Miami in a race that drew national attention by both major parties, including Republican President Donald Trump.

Preliminary results showed Higgins ahead by 19 percentage points with all precincts reported, blazing past opponent Emilio González.

Surrounded by supporters at the historic Miami Woman’s Club building in Edgewater, Higgins leaned into the historic significance of her victory, as the first woman elected mayor in Miami history.

“Madam Mayor! Madam Mayor!” chanted the crowd in a packed ballroom filled with local officials, supporters and Higgins’ own parents.

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Notable local Democrats like Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert and North Miami Mayor Alice Disulme stood while smiles and cheers erupted as the early results rolled in, showing Higgins in a clear lead.

Taking the stage, Higgins, who is not Hispanic, opened her speech in Spanish — a direct jab at Trump’s aggressive immigration policies, which cast a specter over the election.

“I feel profoundly honored to be here as your next mayor,” she said in Spanish. “Tonight, history was made. Our city chose a new direction. You chose competence over chaos, results over excuses and a city government that finally works for you.”

Higgins noted her aim is to make Miami a city for people from all walks of life, as her supporters from LGBTQ+ rights groups like Equality Florida and SAVE watched on.

“ We will lead a city that belongs to everyone. A city where seniors can stay, young people can build a future and immigrants feel welcomed and respected,” she said.

While the mayor-elect aligned herself with Democrats, and her watch party was attended by a who’s who of left-leaning leaders, she emphasized bipartisanship and the respect she has for her opponent, a Republican.

“ This victory belongs to all the people of Miami … lifelong Miamians, newly arrived dreamers, Democrats, Republicans, and independents,” she asserted. “ I just spoke with Emilio González — a good man that I've known for many, many years and genuinely respect. He cares about our community, and that is what unites us: a shared desire to see Miami succeed.”

Representatives from local organizations including the Miami Yacht Club, the Miami Dade Young Democrats and the Miami-Dade Democratic Party were among the throng cheering for Higgins.

Democrats statewide relish mayoral victory

The victory gives a major shot in the arm to a state political party that has been losing relevance in Florida since about 2019, when Republicans began to quickly close the gap on voter registration when compared to Democrats. That year, Democrats still had a 200,000 voter registration advantage across the state. Republican registrations surpassed Democrats’ in 2021, and by now Florida Republicans have more than 1.4 million more registered voters than Florida Democrats, according to state data, showing a remarkable rightward shift in state politics.

Gov. Ron DeSantis went as far as describing the party in 2023 as “a dead, rotten carcass on the side of the road.”

Laura Kelley, the local Democratic Party chair, was ecstatic, saying the win by Higgins will usher in a “blue wave” of Democrat victories.

“ After the election in 2024, they said that the Democratic party was dead … but this is a resounding indictment on President Trump,” Kelley told WLRN. “He tried to interfere in this election, and the fact of the matter is his policies, and more importantly his party is deeply unpopular and we have to make government work for the people. And that's exactly what Mayor-elect Higgins is gonna do.”

Florida Democratic Party Nikki Fried called Higgins' win a sign of better things to come for beleaguered Democrats.

“Tonight’s victory shows that the pendulum is swinging in our favor and that when we commit to relentless, year-round organizing and invest in a long-term strategic field program, we can, in fact, win," FDP Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement.

Al Diaz

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Miami Herald

The race was technically non-partisan, but candidates leaned into party affiliation during the runoff election, after partisanship was largely absent from the 13-way primary election in November.

González received an endorsement from the White House. He campaigned with Republican Sen. Rick Scott, the former governor. The Miami-Dade Republican Party also lent its support to his campaign.

For her part, Higgins campaigned with Pete Buttiegieg, the Transportation Department secretary under the Biden Administration, along with former Democratic Congressman and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, and with Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona. Fellow Democratic Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also lent her support to Higgins.

Alie Skowronsk

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Miami Herald

Democrats and the Higgins campaign vastly outspent González and Republicans in the race on television spots. One estimate from the advertisement tracking firm AdAware said González was outspent by a 19-1 margin since September, POLITICO reported.

National politics weighed heavily on the race, with the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies increasingly affecting local politics. Just last week the Trump Administration moved to restrict immigration applications and even citizenship applications for Cuban, Venezuelan and Haitian nationals, all key constituencies in Miami.

Following those moves, Miami’s Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar issued a rare unabashed rebuke of Trump Administration policies, calling them “unfair” and “un-American,” signaling how deep and emotional some of the issues have become.

Outside Toussaint Louverture Elementary School in Little Haiti on Tuesday afternoon, Nicole Minski and Ryan Pfreffer both told WLRN they voted for Higgins in part because González had aligned himself with President Trump and his immigration policies.

“I’ve been voting Blue my entire life so that always has kind of influenced my decision, but especially the way that the government has been running since this current regime,” said Minski, laughing nervously. “it definitely felt even more important to make sure that we are voting for people that actually support us and this community.”

Pfeffer agreed: "I want a mayor who is going to stand up to Trump. I want a mayor who is going to fight for the immigrants of this community when he inevitably sends ICE to our community to deport immigrants. I hope Eileen walks the walk and backs that up.”