MIAMI (AP) — Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayor’s race on Tuesday, defeating a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump to end her party’s nearly three-decade losing streak and give Democrats a boost in one of the last electoral battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Higgins, 61, will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump’s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained. She campaigned as a proud Democrat despite the race being officially nonpartisan and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who said he called Higgins to congratulate her.
“We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,” Higgins told The Associated Press after her victory speech. “The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.”
https://apnews.com/article/miami-mayor-trump-higgins-gonzalez-f0d8c55a4b97962ac1348c5a93295465
González is a retired Air Force colonel, former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and former CEO of Miami International Airport. He had close ties to the White House, having been on the Trump transition team and a founder of Veterans for Trump. He’s also a senior fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute. Had he won, he planned to continue that role as well as his job at an asset management firm, given that the role of Miami mayor is considered to be part time.