Donald Trump Reacts to Miami Mayoral Elections Results
President Donald Trump reacted after Eileen Higgins defeated Republican Emilio González in a runoff election to be Miami’s next mayor on Tuesday, becoming the first Democrat elected to lead the major Florida city in nearly 30 years.
Trump was asked Wednesday if he was “worried” about Democrats winning yesterday in Miami and Georgia.
He responded, “I don’t worry about it. For whatever reason, when you win the presidency, you seem to lose the midterms, even if you do a great job as president.”
Eric Gisler, Democratic candidate for the Georgia State House, also won a special election versus Republican candidate Mack “Dutch” Guest IV, for a previously held GOP seat.
Why It Matters
The 2025 Miami mayoral runoff marks a critical moment in both local and national politics. Miami, Florida’s second-largest city and a longtime Republican stronghold, had not elected a Democratic mayor in almost three decades. The contest between Higgins, a former county commissioner, and González, a former city manager, was widely viewed as another bellwether for the 2026 midterms.
Democrats have largely overperformed in the 2025 elections, which analysts view as a warning sign for Trump and the GOP ahead of the midterms next year. As Florida is Trump’s home state and a Republican stronghold, the results will be seen as another signal as to where the two major parties stand with voters going into 2026.
What To Know
Higgins, the former Miami–Dade County Commissioner, had won 36 percent of the vote in the initial round in early November, with former Miami City Manager González trailing at 19 percent. Neither candidate secured enough votes to avoid a runoff in the crowded field of 13, pushing the election to a head-to-head matchup held Tuesday.
Higgins won the runoff with 59.46 percent of the vote to González’s 40.54 percent, according to Florida election officials.
Despite Trump endorsing González, polls and betting markets showed Higgins as the frontrunner going into Tuesday. Betting platform Polymarket gave Higgins a 94 percent chance of winning, compared to Gonzalez’s six percent.
A poll by MDW Communications, conducted for Higgins’ campaign between October 14 and 18 with 307 likely Miami voters, found her leading González by a margin of more than two-to-one—49.84 percent supporting Higgins versus 23.78 percent for González, with 26.38 percent undecided.
An APL Consulting poll of 307 voters, conducted November 21 to 24 on behalf of a political committee supportive of González’s campaign, indicated a tighter race, with Higgins at 34 percent and González at 31 percent, within a margin of error of plus or minus 5.9 points.
Key issues in the campaign included the high cost of housing, immigration enforcement policies, and the pending legal battle over the proposed site of Trump’s presidential library downtown. Both candidates ran on anti-corruption platforms after years of political scandal inside Miami City Hall, but their priorities differed.
Higgins focused her campaign on affordable housing, upgrading city trolleys and environmental resilience. González ran on cutting property taxes, increasing police presence and overhauling permitting and licensing.
What People Are Saying
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement shared with Newsweek: “While her opponent was ready to rubber-stamp Donald Trump’s inflationary agenda, Higgins remained laser-focused on lowering costs and improving the lives of Miami families. Tonight’s result is yet another warning sign to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is raising costs for working families across the country.”
Eileen Higgins told Newsweek in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s election: “From Day One, this race has been powered by neighbors who are ready for honest leadership, real accountability, and a focus on results: safer neighborhoods, affordable housing, small business support, and infrastructure that actually gets built. That broad community coalition and commitment to getting things done is what’s powering us through to Tuesday.”
Emilio González said in an X post Tuesday morning: “Miami Homeowners I have your back, because homeownership matters. When people can build roots, families thrive, neighborhoods stabilize, and cities grow stronger. After we WIN tonight my policies will truly support homeowners and the dream of ownership.”
President Donald Trump said in a November 16 Truth Social post: “It is my Great Honor to endorse Emilio T. Gonzales to be the next Mayor of the Beautiful City of Miami, Florida! … As Miami’s next Mayor, he will fight tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our now very Secure Border, SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”
What Happens Next
The new mayor will officially be sworn in and take office in early January.
