“The pendulum is swinging.” Donald Trump must swallow a painful defeat in an important state. Republicans are losing ground
— Miami has chosen a new direction Higgins said during her victory speech at the Miami Woman's Club. — You chose competence over chaos, results over excuses, and city authorities that will finally work for you.
Although mayoral elections and positions are theoretically nonpartisan, the vote generated considerable interest among Democrats and Republicans at the national level. Higgins' victory joins a string of victories Democrats have won this year, including a strong showing in last week's Tennessee House midterm elections.
The election may now reinforce the message of Florida Democrats, who have been defeated here in recent election cycles and have 1.4 million fewer registered voters than Republicans in the once swing state.
“Today's victory shows that the pendulum is swinging in our favor and that when we commit to sustained, year-round action and invest in a long-term strategic field program, we can actually win,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said in a statement Tuesday night.
Despite her partisan campaign themes, Higgins, a mechanical engineer and former director of the Peace Corp in Belize, often avoided references to the party in interviews. Instead, she ran a campaign focused on how she would make city government work better and faster to help alleviate residents' affordability concerns. On Tuesday night, she vowed to get to work the next day and “serve every day to be the honest, effective and hard-working mayor that residents deserve.”
She and Gonzalez also agreed that the city's policies were too corrupt, and both called for entering a new era of stability. Miami's international standing is set to strengthen in the coming years, with the city hosting FIFA World Cup matches and neighboring Doral hosting the G-20 summit in 2026. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city's population has grown, and affluent residents have helped make life less affordable for longtime Miamians.
From left: former Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, Miami mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins and Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Nikki Fried, Miami, December 8, 2025.JOE RAEDLE / Getty Images via AFP / AFP
On Tuesday night, Gonzalez watched the election results at Meraki Greek Bistro, where he was filmed by WPLG breaking plates in the Greek tradition — a tradition considered cathartic. Higgins said he called her to congratulate her on her victory and that they had a “common desire to see Miami succeed.” The Miami Herald reported that he allegedly told Higgins he would support her.
Higgins entered the runoff election spending more on television ads than her opponent. During the November 4 elections, she won 36 percent. votes, defeating 12 other candidates. She was a prominent county commissioner in the district that included downtown for eight years. On November 4, Higgins also finished first in all five city commission districts. She will replace outgoing Mayor Francis Suarez, who briefly ran for the Republican presidential nomination.
A blow to Republicans
Although Trump won Miami-Dade County by 11 points in November 2024, he narrowly lost in Miami, a city of half a million people where there are slightly more registered Democrats than Republicans. The circumstances of the election were also unusualgiven that Miami hasn't held a runoff since 2001.
Already before the second round of elections, leading Republicans tried to moderate expectations. Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power described Miami as a place that “leans Democratic.” On Tuesday night, he pointed to the Republican Party's victories in the state Senate special election and noted that Miami still has a majority on the city commission.
Miami-Dade County Chairman Kevin Cooper, in turn, said Democrats were “turning the needle into a pitchfork.” “They will try to look for something in it that is not there,” he said. — This is not a criticism of the president or the party. A democratic city elects a democratic mayor.
Still, Higgins' victory is a blow to the Republican Partybecause Miami voters have been sending Republicans to City Hall for nearly three decades. Miami-Dade County is also led by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a registered Democrat who easily advanced to re-election in 2024 without having to run in a runoff election. In other countywide elections, Democrats suffered defeat in 2024 after Trump committed to supporting candidates.
“They were swept away”
Expectations that Higgins could win have attracted the attention of leading Democrats from across the state and countrywho came to the Magic City over the weekend to help her get votes.
The Democratic National Committee sent volunteers, and on Monday the campaign was joined by Rahm Emanuel, Obama's former chief of staff, Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan, who is considering running for president in 2028. Guests who arrived in Miami this weekend also included Democratic senator Ruben Gallego, as well as Democratic candidates for governor, former congressman David Jolly and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
Higgins also received support on social media from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, also a former mayor and 2020 presidential candidate.
Chris Korge, chairman of the Democratic National Committee's finance committee, called Higgins' victory “a huge political moment for Democrats.”
Miami mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez, November 4, 2025.Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/Getty Images
—Emilio [Gonzalez] and President Trump doubled down on this election, and he not only lost — was completely crushed he said at a victory party, adding: “They turned it into a national election and got swept away.”
If it weren't for Gonzalez, the mayoral election might not have been held this year at all. In June, city commissioners voted to delay the election by a year to coincide with the midterms, arguing that it would save money and increase turnout. However, this change would also extend the terms of Suarez and several commissioners. Gonzalez filed a lawsuit to keep the election on its current date and won in court.
Gonzalez is a retired Air Force colonel, former director of the United States Immigration Service, and former CEO of Miami International Airport. He had close ties to the White Housebecause he was a member of Trump's transition team and the founder of Veterans for Trump. He is also a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump organization.
If he won, he planned to continue in that role, as well as his job at the asset management firm, since being Miami's mayor is considered a part-time job.
