By Cristian Benavides
December 9, 2025 / 5:22 AM EST / CBS News
For the first time in more than three decades, Democrats believe they have a real shot at reclaiming Miami’s mayoralty — and they are casting a potential victory as a rebuke of President Trump’s immigration stance.
Democratic county commissioner Eileen Higgins, the party’s candidate, has framed the issue in moral and humanitarian terms, calling recent federal immigration tactics both cruel and, from her Catholic upbringing, morally wrong. She faces Republican Emilio Gonzalez in a Tuesday runoff. Gonzalez is a former city manager, ex–Miami‑Dade County commissioner and a one‑time director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under President George W. Bush; he has the endorsement of Mr. Trump.
Gonzalez has urged voters to focus on his record and plans for the city rather than using the contest as a referendum on the president. But national Democrats have mobilized behind Higgins: an endorsement video from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a campaign visit from Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and door‑to‑door canvassing that included Rahm Emanuel are among the high‑profile shows of support.
Higgins led a crowded Nov. 4 field with roughly 36% of the vote to Gonzalez’s 19%, but with 13 candidates splitting the race no one reached a majority, forcing the head‑to‑head runoff. Early voting patterns have shown Democrats outpacing Republicans by about eight percentage points, a trend party officials cite as reason for optimism.
Florida Republicans have downplayed the contest’s broader meaning. The state GOP chair pointed out that Vice President Kamala Harris carried the city of Miami by a single point in 2024. Still, Democrats say a win would be symbolically significant: Miami is in the state President Trump adopted as his home and will host his planned presidential library, and the city has been drifting Republican in recent statewide contests after decades of Democratic dominance. Republicans also hold a roughly 10‑point voter registration advantage across Florida.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin praised Higgins’s ground operation and coalition building, calling her campaign energetic and saying a victory would be an important win.
Mr. Trump weighed in on Monday via Truth Social, urging voters to choose Gonzalez and labeling the race important for Republicans.
The city’s demographics add complexity. Miami is about 57% foreign‑born, per the 2024 U.S. Census, and roughly half of those immigrants are naturalized citizens eligible to vote. While Hispanic voters nationally lean Democratic, South Florida’s Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan exile communities have been fertile ground for Republicans.
Immigration policy has become a flashpoint in Florida. State authorities have ramped up enforcement, the state operates the controversial detention facility nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ and the end of Temporary Protected Status for more than 250,000 Venezuelans has heightened anxiety among long‑resident immigrants who play key roles in the local economy.
Higgins argues the current approach is damaging to the local economy and says she favors removing criminal elements while creating a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who deserve it and help sustain the workforce.
Gonzalez has criticized elevating national immigration debates in a municipal contest, saying campaigners should focus on city issues instead of fights over federal policy. He has suggested the campaign should remain a contest about local leadership and priorities.
If elected, Higgins says she would work with the Trump administration where city interests align but would not hesitate to speak out when she disagrees. The runoff will be watched as a test of how national immigration politics and Trump’s influence play in a diverse, heavily immigrant city that Republicans hope to hold while Democrats seek to reclaim a historically blue post.