Miami, FL — December 10, 2025 – They said the math wasn’t there. They said Florida had turned too red, that Miami’s Cuban-American voting bloc was impenetrable, and that a non-Hispanic Democrat from Ohio had no business running for mayor in the capital of Latin America.
Last night, Eileen Higgins proved them all wrong.
In a stunning upset that has defied every conventional political calculation of the last decade, Higgins—the county commissioner known to her constituents as “La Gringa”—defeated Republican powerhouse Emilio González to become the Mayor of Miami. The victory ends a 28-year Republican stranglehold on City Hall and marks the first time a woman has ever ascended to the city’s top office.
The Red Wall Crumbles
To understand the magnitude of this upset, one must look at the battlefield. Just 13 months ago, Miami-Dade County—once a reliable blue firewall—swung violently to the right in the 2024 presidential election. The prevailing wisdom was that the Democratic brand in South Florida was toxic, battered by accusations of socialism that resonate deeply with the city’s exile communities.
Enter Higgins. She didn’t run away from her party label, but she didn’t run on it either. While her opponent, former City Manager Emilio González, campaigned on national themes and touted an endorsement from Donald Trump, Higgins relentlessly hyper-focused on the unglamorous reality of city living: flooding streets, unaffordable rents, and broken transit.
“Everyone told us this was impossible,” Higgins said, her voice cracking with emotion as she addressed a jubilant crowd at a community center in Little Havana. “They told us a Democrat couldn’t win here anymore. They told us a woman couldn’t win here. But while they were talking about politics, we were talking about people.”
The “La Gringa” Phenomenon
Higgins’ secret weapon was an uncanny ability to cross the cultural divides that usually define Miami politics. Despite being a white, Midwestern transplant, she earned the moniker “La Gringa” years ago for her fearless engagement with Spanish-speaking residents. What started as a potentially derogatory nickname became a badge of honor she printed on campaign t-shirts.
“She showed up where other Democrats wouldn’t,” said political strategist Ana Navarro-Cárdenas. “She went into the senior centers in Little Havana, the bus stops in Allapattah, and she spoke to people in their language—literally and figuratively. She didn’t lecture them; she listened.”
A Mandate for Change
The results were decisive. Higgins captured 59% of the vote, making significant inroads in districts that had been written off as Republican strongholds. She successfully built a coalition of younger progressive voters, Haitian-Americans, and working-class Hispanics who felt left behind by the city’s tech-bro boom and skyrocketing cost of living.
Her victory is a lifeline for Florida Democrats, who have been wandering in the political wilderness. It suggests that the right candidate—one focused on “kitchen table” issues rather than culture wars—can still win in the deepest of red territories.
The Road Ahead
Higgins now faces the daunting task of governing a city on the frontlines of climate change and gentrification. She inherits a “weak mayor” system, meaning she will need to build consensus with the City Commission to enact her ambitious agenda of affordable housing reform and infrastructure modernization.
But for tonight, the focus is on the history made. As the confetti settled on Tuesday night, the “underdog” stood at the podium not just as “La Gringa,” but as Madam Mayor.
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