MIAMI (WSVN) - The polls have closed in a crucial decision day in Miami as former County Commissioner Eileen Higgins squares off against former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez in a runoff race for mayor that has gained national attention.
Polling analysts predict this election could be historic. Even though the coveted mayoral seat is not party-affiliated, the race between Democrat Higgins and Republican Gonzalez has become increasingly partisan.
7News caught up with Higgins in downtown Miami after she cast her ballot.
“I’m very pleased to have all this national attention being placed on Miami. It’s already accelerating voter turnout. That is a really good thing in an off-year election,” she said.
Not long after, Gonzalez spoke with 7News from outside Miami City Hall in Coconut Grove.
“This race got politicized by my opponent. Very early on, the national Democratic Party came out and said, ‘She’s our candidate, and we’re going to get behind her, we’re going to put money and resources and people,'” he said. “All this time, I’ve been running as a [no-party-affiliation] candidate.”
Now there’s a big decision for voters heading to the polls on Tuesday.
Higgins won 36% of the vote in the Nov. 4 election and was the top contender in all of the city’s districts. However, she did not secure enough votes to win outright in the crowded race.
“For eight years, I have served this community as their county commissioner, and during that time, I stayed focused on the things that matter to people: building afforfable housing, expanding mass transit, protecting Biscayne Bay, lifting up small businesses, and speaking kindly and respectfully about our immigrant community,” she said.
The city hasn’t elected a Democratic mayor in over 30 years. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are focusing on the outcome of this race as a possible indicator for what could happen in Miami in next year’s midterms.
Gonzalez, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he wants to come back to City Hall to make Miami better.
“Because everybody else that’s been through the neighborhood uses this job to try and advance their political career for something else. I’m going to be the mayor of Miami to be the mayor of Miami,” he said. “I live here. I’m not interested in being anything else other than being the mayor of Miami.”
“The first thing that needs to happen is we need to have a complete change in attitude,” said Gonzalez. “We need to tell people, ‘You know what? We’ve had enough of this circus. Let’s move on, let’s grow up, let’s offer our honest, transparent, common-sense municipal government.'”
Both candidates agree on one thing: reforming City Hall.
“You know what? I’m tired of reading about ourselves, and it’s time to do something,” said Gonzalez.
“A place for corruption has no possible opportunity to thrive, because you have a government that’s focused on getting things done for you, the people,” said Higgins.
Miami Beach and Hialeah are also having runoff elections, but these cities’ races are just for commissioner and city council seats, respectively.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. For more information about the runoff election in Miami, click here. For the runoff election in Miami Beach, click here. For election information in Hialeah. click here.
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