Overview
- Higgins defeated Emilio T. González 59% to 41%, becoming Miami’s first female mayor and the first Democrat to win the office since 1997.
- Her campaign prioritized affordability with a focus on housing costs, while also emphasizing immigration and flood protections.
- Higgins highlighted local fallout from federal actions, including the firing of 27 clinic workers after Venezuelan work authorizations were revoked, and pledged to revisit city cooperation with ICE.
- Analysts note the result bucks Miami’s recent rightward shift, with Trump having carried Miami-Dade County in 2024.
- Republican voices, including LIBRE Initiative’s Daniel Garza, blamed weak GOP turnout and cautioned that low-turnout dynamics limit predictions for the 2026 midterms.