Eileen Higgins has made political history by winning the Miami mayoral election, becoming the city’s first woman mayor and the first Democrat to hold the office in nearly 28 years. Her landslide victory over Trump-backed Republican candidate Emilio Gonzalez marks a dramatic shift in Miami’s political direction ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
Higgins’ campaign focused on affordable housing, transit reform, economic equality, and defending Miami’s diverse immigrant communities. A former engineer with an MBA from Cornell, Higgins has worked in international development, the U.S. State Department, and the private sector at Pfizer and Jose Cuervo before entering public office.
Her win ends nearly three decades of Republican control and sends a strong signal about changing voter priorities in one of Florida’s most influential cities. Political analysts see this as a major test case for future Democratic momentum in the state.
00:00Miami, famously known as the only major U.S. city founded by a woman, has now made history again.
00:23For the first time ever, voters have elected a woman to run the magic city.
00:27On Tuesday night, Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayoral race, becoming the city's first female mayor and the first Democrat elected to the office in nearly three decades.
00:40Higgins defeated Republican rival Emilio Gonzalez with 59% of the vote in a race that quickly drew national attention because of its political implications.
00:51Gonzalez entered the contest as the more familiar political figure.
00:54He spent more than two decades in public office, including serving as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under President George W. Bush, and later as Miami's city manager.
01:07He also carried the backing of President Donald Trump, making the race one of the most closely watched municipal elections in Florida this year.
01:15By contrast, Higgins was seen by many as a relatively new face in South Florida politics, first winning elected office just seven years ago.
01:26Her victory now signals a dramatic political shift in a city long dominated by Republican leadership.
01:33So who exactly is Miami's new mayor?
01:36Eileen Higgins is 61 years old, born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in New Mexico.
01:42She later earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico, followed by an MBA from Cornell University, an uncommon academic background for a municipal political leader.
01:55Higgins moved to Miami in the early 2000s, initially entering the private sector before turning toward local advocacy and public service.
02:03Her political career began in 2018, when she won a special election to fill a vacant seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission, after Commissioner Bruno Barriero resigned.
02:15She would go on to win two more elections in 2022 and 2024, representing a conservative-leaning district that includes Little Havana, an area long known as a Republican stronghold.
02:27Despite her Democratic affiliation, Higgins worked to build bipartisan appeal.
02:33She leaned into the nickname La Gringa, a Scannish term often used to describe a white American, and embraced the cultural identity of the district she represented.
02:44Higgins served seven years on the county commission before resigning to pursue the mayor's office, as required under Florida election law.
02:52During her time as commissioner, Higgins made housing and small business development central to her agenda.
02:59Her office says she helped invest nearly $3 million in grants for hundreds of small businesses, many of them struggling during the pandemic and the economic recovery that followed.
03:09She also claims credit for helping create or plan nearly 7,000 affordable housing units across the county, at a time when Miami continues to face one of the most severe housing affordability crises in the nation.
03:24Throughout her mayoral campaign, Higgins focused heavily on soaring rent, displacement, and cost-of-living pressures, making affordable housing the core of her message to voters.
03:34She also ran on improving city infrastructure, expanding public transit access, and strengthening neighborhood-level economic development.
03:43On immigration and diversity, Higgins positioned herself in contrast to Republican leadership, criticizing what she called policies that failed to reflect Miami's identity as one of the most diverse and international cities in the United States.
03:58Democrats framed the election as a battle for working families and long-time residents being priced out of the city, while Republicans emphasized law enforcement, public safety, and economic management.
04:12Voters ultimately sided with Higgins, delivering Democrats a major breakthrough in a city they had not controlled at the mayoral level in nearly 30 years.
04:22Now, as mayor-elect, Higgins steps into office at a critical moment for Miami.
04:27The city is grappling with rising housing costs, transit congestion, infrastructure strain, climate threats, and ongoing debates over development and growth.
04:38Supporters say her background in engineering, business, and public administration gives her a unique skill set to manage a fast-growing global city.
04:47Critics argue expectations will be high and results will be demanded quickly.
04:53Still, her win stands as a historic milestone.
04:56For a city that was founded by a woman more than a century ago, but never elected one as mayor until now, the symbolism is powerful.
05:05As Eileen Higgins prepares to take the oath of office, Miami enters a new political chapter, one that could reshape not just City Hall, but the broader political map of South Florida as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
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