By Alexandra Campisi
Soaring rents, endless drives, and knee-deep floods: welcome to the city of Miami.
Two candidates say they can fix the many issues the city faces, or at least make them better – insisting they can do so with much more efficiency than their competitor. Eileen Higgins, a Democrat, and Emilio T. Gonzalez, a Republican, each argue that their approach would most effectively move the city forward. Early voting began on Dec. 5 and ends tomorrow, Dec. 9.
At a recent debate, Higgins and Gonzalez spoke about the city’s most prevalent issues, presenting different solutions to solve them.
“Our municipal government has failed our residents. We’ve let them down and they don’t trust us,” Gonzalez said at a Nov. 13 debate hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Higgins suggested that previous administrations have not been open about what happens in the halls of city power.
“Our city is growing fast, and it’s time our leadership keeps up,” Higgins said. “As mayor, I’m committed to bringing transparency, real solutions, and results Miami families can feel.”
Members of the community in attendance seemed to have their minds made up.
“The election itself, I feel, is crucial,” said Melissa Reinoso, who is the director of operations for the Miami Young Republicans Association. “We have been under the reign of a candidate that was not good for quite some time. I think this specific election is going to be pivotal.”
There were 13 candidates in the Miami mayoral race on Election Day, but the Nov. 4 ballot ended with an almost-inevitable result: none of the candidates garnered 50% of the vote. So Higgins and Gonzalez, who were the top two vote-getters – with Higgins earning 35.96 % of votes and Gonzalez earning 19.47 % respectively – are now facing off against each other in a race being closely watched nationwide. Although the electoral contest is officially nonpartisan, higher-ups in the Democratic and Republican parties are keen to see whether now-red Miami might turn blue again. If Higgins wins, as polls predict, it will be the first time Miami has a Democratic mayor in almost 30 years.
As the runoff race comes to a close, many Miami natives are left wondering which candidate is best suited to advocate for the city.
“This race, in general, we want accountability in our government,” said Miguel Granda, who is the president of the Miami Young Republicans Association. “We want to deal with family-first issues and core traditional values. We want it to focus on affordability, not only for young people. We are seeing a lot of our seniors who cannot afford the property taxes and young professionals who can’t afford a home in the city they grew up in.”
Higgins represents the Democratic party, and is backed by Daniella Levine Cava, the mayor of Miami-Dade County. Gonzalez, a Republican, has major endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott and President Donald Trump. Higgins was a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission, while Gonzalez had 26-year in the US military, capped by an Under Secretary position within the Department of Homeland Security, appointed by President George W. Bush.
Many state and national Democratic figures have come out to support Higgins. Pete Buttigieg, the former presidential candidate who served as President Biden’s Secretary of Transportation, said in a video shared on X and other social media platforms that he was endorsing the Miami Democrat because he believes in local leadership.
“And Eileen has spent years showing up for this community,” Buttigieg said. “She has fought for more affordable housing, for better transit, and for safer neighborhoods. She listens, she works hard, and she delivers, and that’s exactly what Miami needs right now.”
Higgins and Gonzalez have very different approaches when it comes to the city’s permit systems, how to combat the transit crisis, and how to make Miami residents turn to public transportation rather than personal cars. Now it’s up to Miamians to decide who will make the best mayor.
“I feel excited to see the next step in this election; now we’re really going to see between the two candidates,” Tony Figueroa, the treasurer of the Miami Young Republicans Association, said at the candidates’ Nov. 13 debate, adding, “It’s a good way for people to get a little closer to the candidates and feel like they’re being spoken to directly.”
Traffic jams that turn two-mile drives into hour-long commutes, and streets that resemble canals after every sudden downpour: that’s life Miami voters know all too well. Both candidates are laying out ways to combat Miami’s most urgent problems, each vowing to lead the city in markedly different directions.
