The landslide victory of Democrat Elaine Higgins in the American mayoral election in Miami has finally served as a clear rebuke to President Donald Trump at the heart of a community that has become a vital hub for his movement. Voters cast their ballots for a Democratic candidate for the first time in nearly 30 years, giving a strong boost to a party that had been struggling in recent elections in South Florida. They rejected Republican candidate Emilio Gonzalez, whom Trump endorsed, in a move that helped thrust the election into the national spotlight, framing it as a referendum on the president. As a result, immigration policies directly affect many residents or their friends and families. Analysts: The election result confirms voters' rejection of the administration's immigration policies and concerns about the cost of living. "We don't want that in Miami." Meanwhile, former Republican Congressman from Miami Carlos Curbelo said that "aggressive immigration policies have become a major factor in increasing opposition." He added: "Under normal circumstances, this would have at least been a close race for Republicans," explaining that "the administration's aggressive immigration policies are not popular at all in a city with a strong, immigrant-friendly culture and identity." According to The Wall Street Journal. Higgins received 59% of the vote, while Gonzalez received 41%. Analysts and observers say the election result sent two clear messages: the first is voters' rejection of the administration's immigration policies, which have heavily impacted a city where a majority of residents were born abroad; the second is residents' concerns about the cost of living, from housing to groceries. Local issues were at the heart of the election, but Trump loomed over the race, as he has in other recent elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and Tennessee. Republican Party member Maribel Donato (60) said she voted for Trump last year but is now "not very happy" with him because the cost of living has not gone down, and his harsh immigration campaign included people with no criminal records. She added: "I don't think it's right for people to have been living here for many years, working hard, and then be forced to leave," noting that the immigrants she knows fear being detained or not accepted for jobs. A Rare Achievement The result of the Miami mayoral election was a rare achievement for Democrats in South Florida, who have been steadily losing influence in the region in recent years. Trump worked to win the votes of Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade County, which has a larger population than Miami itself. A county long controlled by Democrats, Trump managed to win it in 2024. His supporters are seeking to implement plans to build a presidential library for him in Miami—a project that has sparked partisan feelings. Miami's population is about 460,000, with 67% of Hispanic origin and 55% born abroad, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. In 2024, Trump performed well among Hispanic voters, many of whom during the campaign said they supported more restrictive immigration policies. However, this support appeared to wane ahead of the Miami mayoral election amid raids that shut down work sites and disrupted residential neighborhoods. An Outright Rejection Democrat Cecilia Tavera-Webman (69), who voted for Higgins, said: "This election was an outright rejection of the Trump administration's policies." Webman criticized what she called the "inhumane" treatment of immigrants by the U.S. administration, detaining and deporting them en masse. She said: "What we are experiencing is not a right situation."
