A Democratically-aligned candidate has not been elected mayor in Miami in nearly 30 years

Election comes as Trump’s approval ratings with Latino voters hit all-time lows

Today, the DNC announced a new bilingual GOTV organizing blitz to support mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins ahead of the runoff election in the Miami mayoral race on December 9. While Higgins is running a campaign focused on lowering costs for Miami families, her opponent, Emilio Gonzalez, is a former Trump transition team staffer who supports Trump’s toxic agenda that is raising costs and ripping away health care from 1.5 million Floridians. Gonzalez represents more of the same Republican aligned leadership that has failed Miami for nearly 30 years. 

Under DNC Chair Ken Martin, building Democratic power throughout the South is a top priority. That’s why earlier this year, he announced a historic increase in monthly investments into state parties, including $22,500 a month into traditionally Republican states through the DNC’s Red State Fund. 

Democrats are gaining ground in Florida and across the country. In 2025, Democrats have won or overperformed in 219 out of 247 races (nearly 90%) nationwide. Chair Martin visited Florida in March to campaign for Josh Weil in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, where Weil and fellow Democrat Gail Valimont in Florida’s 1st Congressional District overperformed 2024 margins by over double digits. 

The DNC will support Eileen Higgins ahead of the mayoral runoff by:

• Activating our massive national distributed volunteer base to participate in GOTV efforts and turn out Miami voters.

• Recruiting and training bilingual volunteers to take action on the ground.

• Hosting virtual phone banks, in both English and Spanish, to turn out voters.

DNC Chair Ken Martin issued the following statement: 

“When you organize everywhere, you can win anywhere — including here in Florida, where Democrats are fighting to flip Miami’s mayorship for the first time in nearly 30 years. Eileen Higgins is an experienced lawmaker who is laser-focused on lowering costs for hardworking families across Miami. In stark contrast, her opponent Emilio Gonzalez is a former Trump staffer who supports Trump’s toxic agenda that is tanking Florida’s economy, raising costs for families, and stripping health insurance from over 1.5 million Floridians. Between now and Election Day, the DNC is all-in to elect Eileen Higgins and ensure Miami families have a champion who is fighting for them, not Donald Trump.”