Eileen Higgins heads into partisan Miami mayoral runoff with momentum

If you thought Miami’s political telenovela might take a break after Election Day, think again. The show goes on — and this next act could be the one that finally rewrites the script at City Hall.
Commissioner Eileen Higgins came out of Tuesday’s first round not just ahead — but way ahead — in the race for mayor. She didn’t just win with 36% of the vote, compared to the second place showing of 19% for former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez. Higgins swept all five commission districts, including Commissioner Joe Carollo’s old stomping grounds in District 3, where she beat him 32% to 26%, according to a Miami Herald tally. That’s right — she beat El Loco on his own block.
And now she’s heading into a Dec. 9 runoff against Gonzalez, the ultimate City Hall insider, who’s trying very hard to rebrand himself as a reformer and gets major brownie points for filing the lawsuit that forced the election to happen after the city commission had effectively cancelled it by postponing it for a year. The courts agreed with Gonzalez, saying the city needed to get a public vote if they wanted to change the election year.
If only Gonzalez had stuck to that message: The hero who saved the election and, thus, the city from another year of Carollo and Mayor Francis Suarez. The anti-corruption warrior who would put residents first. Ladra had told him early, this was his race to lose.
But nooooo. He had to lean hard into his Republican base, touting endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Ted Cruz all the way from Texas. You don’t pull out Ted Cruz unless you’re trying to send a message. Gonzalez also had to call the Democrats in the race “commies” in a Politico interview a week before the race and say that they would use the mayor’s office to fight the president’s policies.
“A liberal, Democratic, progressive mayor in Miami will serve only to have a platform with which to bash the Trump administration,” he told Politico. “They can’t help themselves. They all wear the same uniform. They all have the same script.”
It sort of feels like he had to out-Trump Carollo, who was sending mailers with photos of the POTUS and himself, making it look like they’re pals. Hey, could Joe be on the Epstein list?
Read related: Eileen and Emilio headed to Miami mayoral runoff as voters end the circus
To be fair, Higgins rode the blue flag like it was the magic carpet that would take her to City Hall. The Miami-Dade Democrats paid for mailers and messages that painted Gonzalez as the MAGA mayor. And her endorsements read like a coalition of the fed-up progressives: almost all the labor unions, Unite Here, SAVE, Equality Florida, The Miami Times, The Miami Herald, Legacy Magazine, plus local mayors like South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber (does anyone remember him?) and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, arguably the most powerful and popular Democrat in the state.
Third place finisher Ken Russell, who came within two points of getting into the runoff instead of Gonzalez, wrote an op-ed in The Miami Herald last week that urged voters and the candidates — who are supposed to be the adults in the room among the 13 who ran to succeed the termed out Francis Suarez — to keep partisan politics out of the runoff. Good luck with that.
Sure, Gonzalez will try to roll back that hard right message now because he has to appeal to Democrats and independents if he wants to win in Round 2. But he has to walk a fine line because if his base thinks he’s gone too soft, they won’t come out to vote.
Meanwhile, Higgins — the self-styled “outsider” in the race, who is very much a part of the “insiders’ club” — has managed to build a support base that cuts across neighborhoods and languages, winning everywhere from Little Havana to Coconut Grove. She is now leading González 50 to 24 in the latest poll.
Higgins’ challenge now is turnout. The first round drew just 21% of registered voters, and December runoffs are notorious for even lower participation. If she can keep her coalition energized — the renters, the working families, the young voters who want a City Hall that speaks their language and listens — she could make history as the first woman elected mayor of Miami. And she has the endorsements that could make it happen — unions and SAVE means boots on the ground to spread your message.
Read related: In Miami mayoral bid, Emilio Gonzalez goes for the law and order vote
González, for his part, will try to rally the old guard — homeowners, conservatives, and the Republican establishment — who might see Higgins’ rise as a threat to the status quo. They’ve already compared her to New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, the new face of the Democrat boogeyman. (Sorry, AOC, you’re yesterday’s news). Will that work?
Team Emilio is also likely betting on low turnout and high loyalty.
Because right now, all signs point to momentum on Higgins’ side. Even the Herald noted that Democratic turnout jumped 12 points this election compared to a meager 4-point bump for the GOP. If that keeps up, she’s going to be a happy camper.
And so will other Democrats statewide, who are watching this officially “nonpartisan” race very closely. The Florida Democratic Party immediatly congratulated Higgins on advancing to the runoff.
“It’s been 28 years since Miami last elected a Democrat as its Mayor and tonight’s result shows that the pendulum is swinging and the Democrats are the source,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried on the night of the election. “Miami is on the path to getting the leadership it deserves, and tomorrow the fight continues to ensure Eileen has all the people power she needs to declare victory in 35 days.”
That’s right, it’s now less than a month before the election that truly decides who will lead the city of Miami for the next four years.
The bottom line is voters could have had it worse. Both candidates promise to end the chaos, corruption and rampant dysfunction in the city. Both are competent people who do not seem driven by emotion. Neither seems like they would weaponize the government against their “enThere’s no real terrible choice here. Unless you believe that Higgins is a communist or that Gonzalez will invite the National Guard to invade Miami.
Because voters aren’t just picking between two very different personalities — they’re deciding what kind of city they want Miami to be.

You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.

The post Eileen Higgins heads into partisan Miami mayoral runoff with momentum appeared first on Political Cortadito.

Read Full Story