2025 Miami mayoral election

Mayoral election in Florida, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2025 Miami mayoral election had its initial round held on November 4, 2025, with a runoff election then held on December 9, 2025. The election saw Eileen Higgins elected mayor of Miami, becoming the first Democrat to be elected to this position since 1997.[1] Incumbent mayor Francis Suarez was term-limited and could not run for a third term. Miami holds runoffs if no mayoral candidate receives a majority of the vote.[2] County Board member Eileen Higgins and former city manager Emilio Gonzalez advanced to the runoff.[3] Higgins would go on to defeat Gonzalez in the runoff, making her the first Democrat to be elected mayor since 1997, and the first woman elected to lead Miami in the city's history. The 2025 election marked the first Miami mayoral election to advance to a runoff since 2001.[4]

Quick facts Candidate, Party ...
2025 Miami mayoral election
← 2021
November 4, 2025 (first round)
December 9, 2025 (runoff)
2029 →
 
Candidate Eileen Higgins Emilio Gonzalez Ken Russell
Party Democratic Republican Democratic
First round 13,403
35.95%		 7,258
19.47%		 6,550
17.57%
Runoff 22,145
59.46%		 15,099
40.54%		 Eliminated
 
Candidate Joe Carollo Alex Díaz de la Portilla Xavier Suarez
Party Republican Republican Independent
First round 4,277
11.47%		 1,929
5.17%		 1,841
4.94%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated
Unofficial precinct runoff results
Higgins:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Gonzalez:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90%
     No votes
Mayor before election

Francis Suarez
Republican

 Elected mayor

Eileen Higgins
Democratic

Close

Background

Incumbent mayor Francis Suarez was re-elected in 2021 with 78.6% of the vote, defeating opponent Max Martinez. He was term-limited.

Scheduling

The 2025 election cycle was marred by early controversy. In June 2025, Miami city commissioners passed an ordinance that would change the election dates from odd-numbered to even-numbered years, citing voter turnout and the financial cost of elections as key factors. This ordinance would suspend the November 2025 elections until November 2026, giving incumbents an extra year in office. One of the candidates, Emilio Gonzalez, filed a lawsuit challenging the Commission's ordinance. Both the 11th Judicial Circuit and Third District Court of Appeal ruled in Gonzalez's favor, finding that the ordinance violated the Florida Constitution, the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter, and the City of Miami Charter.[5][6][7] The City of Miami soon after filed a motion to obtain a rehearing en banc.[8] This means that the entire Third District Court would hear the case as opposed to the customary three-judge panel.

Candidates

Declared

Advanced to runoff

Eliminated in first round

Withdrew

  • Ijamyn Gray[b] (Democratic)[11]
  • Maxwell Martinez,[c] podcast producer and perennial candidate[20]

Did not run/declined

Individuals substantially speculated to run, but ultimately did not, include:

First round

Endorsements

Emilio Gonzalez (R)
U.S. senators
Statewide officials
Local officials
Individuals
Labor unions
Organizations
Eileen Higgins (D)
State legislators
Local officials
Labor unions
Organizations
Newspapers and other media
Michael Hepburn (D)
Individuals
  • Maxwell Martinez, entrepreneur and runner-up for mayor in 2021[45]
Ken Russell (D)
Local officials
Individuals

Polling

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[g]		 Margin
of error		 Joe
Carollo		 Emilio
Gonzalez		 Eileen
Higgins		 Ken
Russell		 Xavier
Suarez		 Undecided
MDW Communications (D)[49][A] July 27 – August 1, 2025 511 (LV) – 11% 15% 36% 12% 7% 19%
Close

Debates and forums

More information Debates and forums, No. ...
Debates and forums
 No.DateHostModerator(s)LinkParticipants
Key:
 P  Participant/Invited    A  Absent    N  Non-invitee    O  Out of race  
Anderson
Bowdre
Carollo
Cevallos
Crocker
Gonzalez
Gray
Díaz de la
Portilla
Hepburn
Higgins
Russell
Savage
Suarez
1[50] September 20, 2025 Various local & statewide organizations Dwight M. Bullard
Michi Ceard Francois		 YouTube P N N P P A P N P P P A P
2[51][52] October 1, 2025 Downtown Neighbors Alliance, CBS Miami Eliott Rodriguez YouTube N N P N N P O P N P P N P
3[53] October 5, 2025 Coconut Grove Democratic Club,
Miami–Dade Democratic Party		 Don Finefrock YouTube N P N N N N O N P P P N N
4[54] October 16, 2025 Biscayne Neighborhoods Association,
NBC Miami, Miami Herald, Griffin Catalyst		 Jackie Nespral and
David Smiley		 YouTube N N A N N P O N N P P N P
Close

Results

Turnout among registered voters has been unofficially reported in excess of 21.6%, with more than 37,600 ballots being cast.[55] There were 174,462 registered voters in Miami ahead of the first round.[56]

More information Candidate, Votes ...
2025 Miami mayoral election[57]
Candidate Votes %
Eileen Higgins 13,403 35.95
Emilio Gonzalez 7,258 19.47
Ken Russell 6,550 17.57
Joe Carollo 4,277 11.47
Alex Díaz de la Portilla 1,929 5.17
Xavier Suarez 1,841 4.94
Michael A. Hepburn 688 1.85
Laura Anderson 415 1.11
Christian E. Cevallos 287 0.77
Kenneth James DeSantis 224 0.60
Elijah John Bowdre 180 0.48
Alyssa Crocker 147 0.39
June E. Savage 84 0.23
Total votes 37,283 100.00
Close

Runoff

Runoff endorsements

The following individuals and groups (who had not already endorsed either Gonzalez or Higgins ahead of the first round) made endorsements for the runoff:

Emilio Gonzalez (R)
2025 mayoral candidates
Executive branch officials
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Local officials
Eileen Higgins (D)
Executive branch officials
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
Party officials
Individuals
Labor unions
Organizations

Polling

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[g]		 Margin
of error		 Emilio
Gonzalez		 Eileen
Higgins		 Undecided
APL Consulting[75][B] November 21–23, 2025 307 (V) ± 5.9% 31% 34% 35%
MDW Communications (D)[76][A] October 14–18, 2025 307 (LV) ± 6.0% 24% 50% 26%
Close

Debates and forums

More information Debates and forums, No. ...
Debates and forums
 No.DateHostModeratorLinkParticipants
Key:
 P  Participant/Invited    A  Absent    N  Non-invitee    O  Out of race  
Gonzalez Higgins
1[77] November 13, 2025 League of Women Voters
ACLU of Florida
Miami Shenandoah Neighborhood Association
One Grove Alliance
ACDC[h]		 Nicole Perez YouTube P P
2[78] November 25, 2025 CBS Miami Jim DeFede YouTube
CBS News		 P P
Close

Results

More information Candidate, Votes ...
2025 Miami mayoral runoff[79]
Candidate Votes %
Eileen Higgins 22,145 59.46
Emilio Gonzalez 15,099 40.54
Total votes 37,244 100.00
Close

Notes

  1. [a]
    Hepburn previously had run for Congress in 2018 and 2020; state house in 2010, 2014, and 2020; state senate in 2020; Miami Board of Commissioners in 2021; Miami-Dade County Public Schools school board in 2024[16][17]
  2. [b]
    While Ijamyn Gray had launched a campaign,[11] they were not among those who filed petitions by the ballot deadline[12]
  3. [c]
    Maxwell Martinez withdrew prior to petition deadline[11]
  4. [d]
    Reyes had announced plans to run, but died prior to the filing period for the election[21]
  5. [e]
    Fred Voccola had expressed public interest in running,[23] but was not among the candidates who filed to run[12]
  6. [f]
    This appointed position was replaced by the Miami-Dade Sheriff, an elected position, in January 2025.[29]
  7. [g]
    Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  8. [h]
    The Allapattah Collaborative Community Development Corporation

Partisan clients

  1. [A]
    Poll sponsored by Ethical Leadership for Miami, which supports Higgins
  2. [B]
    Poll sponsored by Mission Miami PAC, which supports Gonzalez

References

External links

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