Democrat wins Miami mayor’s race for the first time in nearly 30 years
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 midterms Tonight the people of Miami made history Higgins mentioned in a report after the results were declared Higgins 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 multiple people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained She campaigned as a Democrat despite the race being officially nonpartisan and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez a former city manager who revealed he called Higgins to congratulate her I ve never been prouder to be a Democrat Higgins advised The Associated Press before her mastery We re living in the state of Florida where we have people that are building cages for our residents rather than affordable housing for them The local race is not predictive of what may happen at the polls next year But it drew attention from the two major national political parties and their leaders The triumph provides Democrats with a few momentum heading into a high-stakes midterm vote when the GOP is looking to keep its grip in Florida including in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County The area has shifted increasingly rightward politically in modern years and the city may become the home of Trump s presidential library Tonight s end is yet another warning sign to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is raising costs noted Ken Martin the chair of the Democratic National Committee in a comment Selected nationally recognized Democrats supported Higgins including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg U S Sen Ruben Gallego and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel traveled to Miami on Sunday and Monday to rally voters for the Democrat who served as a Miami-Dade county commissioner for seven years Higgins who speaks Spanish represented a district that leans conservative and includes the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana When she first entered politics in she chose to present herself to voters as La Gringa a term Spanish speakers use for white Americans because multiple people did not known how to pronounce her name It just helps people understand who I am and you know what I am a gringa so what am I going to do deny it she advised the AP Republicans anxiety grows Republicans in Florida have ascertained strong sponsorship from voters with heritage from Cuba Venezuela and Nicaragua because they likened certain members of the Democratic party s progressive wing with politicians from the governments they fled Trump and other GOP members have tapped into those sentiments over the past eight years However a few local Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated since November s elections when Democrats scored wins in New Jersey and Virginia where both winning gubernatorial candidates performed strongly with nonwhite voters The results from those races were perceived as a reflection of concerns over rising prices and the Trump administration s aggressive immigration policies U S Rep Maria Elvira Salazar a Republican whose district is being targeted by Democrats and includes the city of Miami called the elections elsewhere a wake-up call She reported Hispanics also want a secure edge and a healthy economic activity but certain relief for those who have been here for years and do not have a criminal record The Hispanic vote is not guaranteed Salazar stated in a video posted on X Hispanics married President Trump but they are only dating the GOP Miami mayor-elect gains national platform The mayoral position in Miami is more ceremonial but Higgins promised to execute it like a full-time job The city is part of Miami-Dade County which Trump flipped last year a dramatic improvement from his percentage point loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton in As Florida s second-largest city Miami is considered the gateway to Latin America and attracts millions of tourists Its global prominence gives Higgins a vital stage as mayor Her pitch to voters included finding city-owned land that could be turned into affordable housing and cutting unnecessary spending Source
