A Miami mayoral runoff has Republicans worried they may lose a seat they’ve held for 30 years.
Next week’s runoff election is between Democrat Eileen Higgins, a former county commissioner, and Republican Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Democrats hold the early-voting lead, 6,014 ballots to 4,055 cast by Republicans.
“It’s a tough district,” Evan Power, chair of the Republican Party of Florida, admitted to Politico. “My expectation is, it probably doesn’t perform for Republicans, but we have to do what we have to do, fight in every place."
Ken Partin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, told Politico the party is “laser focused” on Miami.
“The energy is on Democrats’ side and the DNC is all-in to support Eileen Higgins from now until Election Day,” he said.
Trump lost Miami to then-Vice President Kamala in 2024, but he won the surrounding county by 11 points.
In the Nov. 4 elections, Higgins was the top vote-getter in all five of the city’s commission districts.
Gonzalez beat 3rd-place finisher Ken Russell, a Democrat, by only 700 votes.
Higgins has dominated the airwaves, outspending Gonzalez 19-to-1 in TV ads.
Florida Republicans are hoping a late spending surge can get Gonzalez over the top, spending $100,000 on TV ads, and Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar are set to appear at an event for him.
This week’s special congressional election in Tennessee, where Republicans won by 9 points in a district Trump won by 22, has served as a wakeup call to the GOP in Florida.
“In a deep-red district Republicans have long regarded as safe, heavy early voting and mail-in turnout nearly erased the GOP’s historic advantage, and only a last-minute push secured the seat,” Angie Wong, a Republican executive committee member in Miami, said to Politico.
“We have to make sure Miami does not turn back into a blue city.”
Kevin Cooper, the chair of the Miami-Dade Republican party, pointed out that Republicans won in Tennessee and have called Higgins a “radical leftist,” who supports cashless bail and opposes the death penalty.
“Tuesday’s results show that our national strategy is working: When we communicate our message and the results we have produced, people agree,” Cooper said to Politico.
“We are working alongside our state and federal partners to mobilize Republican voters and deliver a big win yet again next week,” Cooper said.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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