Miami elects first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years
Higgins' win in Miami gives the Democrats a boost in one of the last electoral battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Washington (dpa) - Miami will be led by a Democrat for the first time in roughly three decades after Eileen Higgins won the city's mayoral race, a contest thrust into the national spotlight following comments by US President Donald Trump.
Higgins secured close to 60% of the vote, election results showed late on Tuesday, defeating Republican Emilio Gonzalez.
According to the New York Times, the 61-year-old is the first woman to lead Miami and the first non-Hispanic mayor since the 1990s.
Trump had intervened in the contest in recent days, calling it a "big and important race!!!" on his Truth Social platform. He urged voters to back Gonzalez, whom he described as "FANTASTIC!"
Democrats considered Higgins' victory in the US state of Florida as another sign of shifting political sentiment, following recent wins in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and the mayoral race in New York.