The choice of Eileen Higgins As Miami’s new mayor, she represents not only a drastic political change for the city, but also the arrival of a figure in city leadership whose personal and professional path is fundamentally different from that of most of her predecessors.
Higgins, an Ohio-born engineer who grew up in Albuquerque and was adopted by Miami for years, was the first woman to achieve the position, the first Democrat in nearly three decades, and the first non-Hispanic person to lead the city since the 1990s. His appearance reflects an electoral shift that few analysts expected and that is reshaping South Florida’s political landscape.
Higgins came to local politics after a varied career that combined engineering, international development and diplomacy. He then studied mechanical engineering at the University of New Mexico He earned an MBA from Cornell University, an unusual combination in American local politics.
Her career initially took her into the field of infrastructure and transportation consulting in Latin America, an experience that shaped her vision of urban planning, inequality and mobility – three axes that she later applied to her political speech in Miami.
He later joined the Peace Corps and headed the Belize office. In this position, she was responsible for community development and international cooperation programs. She then moved to the State Department, where she worked as a foreign service officer with economic development and diplomacy responsibilities in countries such as Mexico and South Africa. The Experience in foreign governments and in bilateral cooperation he strengthened his pragmatic and technocratic approach, characteristics that stood out during his election campaign.
Before he became mayor, Higgins had already achieved a milestone represent one of the most politically conservative areas and are most identified with the Cuban-American vote in Miami: the district that includes Little Havana. Her election as commissioner was seen as an anomaly at the time, but over time she cemented an image of closeness, management and sensitivity towards the immigrant community. The affectionate nickname “La Gringa” given to her by many area residents ultimately led to her integration into an environment that had historically favored Republican and Hispanic candidates.
The triumph that brought her to the mayor’s office is a centerpiece at a time of high national tensions. Higgins defeated the Republican Emilio González with 59 percent of the vote, an overwhelming lead in a city where Donald Trump easily won the district in 2024. His campaign placed a clear focus on immigration issues, denouncing raids, mass incarcerations and the elimination of protective programs such as TPS and humanitarian parole, measures promoted by Trump and the governor Ron DeSantis that directly impact a city where nearly 70 percent of residents are Hispanic or Latino.
Higgins also criticized the establishment of the so-called internment camp Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades and denounced human rights violations there. His message, focused on the dignity of migrants and the defense of residents regardless of status, reached a strong connection in the neighborhoods of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Central Americans.
In addition to immigration, he focused his platform on an increasingly pressing issue: affordability. He spoke of affordable housing, efficient transportation, lack of planning and uncontrolled growth, contrasting his approach with that of González, who defended cutting local taxes and a more favorable vision of deregulated construction.
His victory also coincides with a series of democratic victories in other states, This reinforces the idea of broader political change in response to the federal government’s policies. For many Democratic leaders today, Higgins is a symbol that the Hispanic vote is no longer monolithic, that immigration fatigue can shift historical voting patterns and that Miami is once again opening itself to diverse political options.
At age 61, Higgins is running against a symbolically powerful city that has little formal executive power but enormous national clout. She sums it up better than anyone: “Miami has taken a new direction. Competition instead of chaos. Results instead of excuses. A city that works for everyone.” His term has just begun, but his inauguration has already changed Miami’s political history.
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