Democrat wins Miami mayor’s race for the primary time in practically 30 years : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5611x3741+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbf%2F42%2F3e631b6e4bec926ce228de300f6c%2Fap25344035489895.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5611x3741+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbf%2F42%2F3e631b6e4bec926ce228de300f6c%2Fap25344035489895.jpg" class="img" alt="Miami mayor-elect Eileen Higgins celebrates at a watch party after winning the Miami mayoral runoff election, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Miami." fetchpriority="high"/> Miami mayor-elect Eileen Higgins celebrates at a watch social gathering after successful the Miami mayoral runoff election, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Miami. Lynne Sladky/AP disguise caption

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Lynne Sladky/AP MIAMI — Democrat Eileen Higgins gained the Miami mayor's race on Tuesday, defeating a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump to finish her social gathering's practically three-decade dropping streak and provides Democrats a lift in one of many final electoral battles forward of the 2026 midterms.

Higgins, 61, would be the first girl to steer the town of Miami. She spoke regularly within the Hispanic-majority metropolis about Trump's immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many individuals in Miami who have been fearful about relations being detained. She campaigned as a proud Democrat regardless of the race being formally nonpartisan and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former metropolis supervisor, who mentioned he known as Higgins to congratulate her.

"We face rhetoric from elected officers that's so dehumanizing and merciless, particularly in opposition to immigrant populations," Higgins instructed The Related Press after her victory speech. "The residents of Miami have been able to be completed with that."

With practically all votes counted Tuesday, Higgins led the Republican by about 19 proportion factors.

The native race is just not predictive of what might occur on the polls subsequent yr. However it drew consideration from the 2 main nationwide political events and their leaders. The victory gives Democrats with some momentum heading right into a high-stakes midterm election when the GOP is seeking to maintain its grip in Florida, together with in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County. The realm has shifted more and more rightward politically in recent times, and the town might turn out to be the house of Trump's presidential library.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2499x1666+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb1%2Fea%2F510375e649ef9bda2c284e726d3d%2Fap25344050563894.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2499x1666+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb1%2Fea%2F510375e649ef9bda2c284e726d3d%2Fap25344050563894.jpg" class="img" alt="Miami mayor candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager backed by President Donald Trump, waves as he thanks supporters after conceding to Democrat Eileen Higgins in Miami's mayoral runoff election, at a watch party, in downtown Miami, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025." loading="lazy"/> Miami mayor candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former metropolis supervisor backed by President Donald Trump, waves as he thanks supporters after conceding to Democrat Eileen Higgins in Miami's mayoral runoff election, at a watch social gathering, in downtown Miami, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Rebecca Blackwell/AP disguise caption

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Rebecca Blackwell/AP "Tonight's result's yet one more warning signal to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that's elevating prices," mentioned Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic Nationwide Committee, in a press release.

Some nationally acknowledged Democrats supported Higgins, together with 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 contains the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana. When she first entered politics in 2018, she selected to current herself to voters as "La Gringa," a time period Spanish audio system use for white Individuals, as a result of many individuals didn't recognized easy methods to pronounce her title.

"It simply helps individuals perceive who I'm, and you understand what? I'm a 'gringa,' so, what am I going to do, deny it?" she instructed the AP.

Republicans' anxiousness grows Republicans in Florida have discovered sturdy help from voters with heritage from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, as a result of they likened some members of the Democratic social gathering's progressive wing with politicians from the governments they fled. Trump and different GOP members have tapped into these sentiments over the previous eight years.

Nevertheless, some native Republicans are rising more and more annoyed since November's elections when Democrats scored wins in New Jersey and Virginia, the place each successful gubernatorial candidates carried out strongly with nonwhite voters.

The outcomes from these races have been perceived as a mirrored image of considerations over rising costs and the Trump administration's aggressive immigration insurance policies.

U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district is being focused by Democrats and contains the town of Miami, known as the elections elsewhere a "wake-up name." She mentioned Hispanics additionally need a safe border and a wholesome economic system however some reduction for "those that have been right here for years and don't have a felony document."

"The Hispanic vote is just not assured," Salazar mentioned in a video posted on X final month. "Hispanics married President Trump, however they're solely courting the GOP."

David Jolly, who's working to symbolize Democrats within the Florida governor's race subsequent yr, mentioned the mayoral election was excellent news for Democrats in what was once a battleground state.

"Change is right here. It is sweeping the nation, and it is sweeping Florida," Jolly mentioned.

Miami mayor-elect features nationwide platform The mayoral place in Miami is extra ceremonial, however Higgins promised to execute it like a full-time job.

The town is a part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped final yr, a dramatic enchancment from his 30 proportion level loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

As Florida's second-largest metropolis, Miami is taken into account the gateway to Latin America and attracts hundreds of thousands of vacationers. Its world prominence provides Higgins a big stage as mayor.