Eileen Higgins can also be the primary Democrat within the place in practically 30 years.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Miami has a brand new mayor-elect, and a history-making one at that, when voters there elected the town’s first feminine mayor final night time, Eileen Higgins, a former county commissioner. She’s additionally the primary Democrat to carry the seat in practically 30 years. She beat Republican Emilio Gonzalez, who had the assist of President Trump. For extra on this, we flip now to Joshua Ceballos with member station WLRN. Good morning, Joshua.
JOSHUA CEBALLOS, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So inform us extra about final night time’s election outcomes. I perceive you had been on the Higgins watch get together final night time. What was it like?
CEBALLOS: Yeah. It was a very thrilling second. I imply, Eileen Higgins received by 19 proportion factors towards her opponent, Emilio Gonzalez. I used to be there on the watch get together on the Miami Girl’s Membership, and there was, like, palpable pleasure. You may inform that individuals felt this was an enormous second not only for the town, however for the remainder of the nation. Although this was only a native mayors race, it’s being celebrated nationally as a giant win for Democrats.
MARTIN: You already know, the mayor’s workplace is technically nonpartisan. Not less than, the race is technically nonpartisan. So had been there native points that dominated, or was it at all times a nationwide race?
CEBALLOS: Yeah. I imply, humorous sufficient, the candidates had been fairly shut on platform. They each talked about bringing order to Metropolis Corridor, which has had a status for being fairly dysfunctional due to some political drama. They each talked about addressing Miami’s excessive value of dwelling, which I believe was high of thoughts for lots of voters I spoke to all through the election. And Higgins ran on bread-and-butter points on the native stage – affordability, transit, defending the native setting. However she additionally made sure nods to extra nationwide and statewide points, like defending the LGBTQ+ neighborhood and being a house for migrants. Gonzalez has not held elected workplace, so there wasn’t a legislative report he might level to, however his platform included rolling again property taxes, which is a line that native Republicans in Florida have been pushing.
MARTIN: How are each events reacting to this? So let’s begin with the Democrats.
CEBALLOS: Yeah. The get together sees this as an enormous win and an actual response to President Trump’s insurance policies, notably on immigration. After Higgins’ victory, I spoke with Laura Kelley, who’s the chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Celebration. She mentioned this win was a rebuke of Trump and an indication that the Democratic Celebration shouldn’t be useless in Florida.
LAURA KELLEY: It speaks to the second. It speaks to what the nation is feeling. And I hope that our elected representatives in Tallahassee and in Washington, D.C., are listening to us in Miami and in Miami Seashore they usually make completely different selections.
CEBALLOS: Each candidates tried to run a reasonably nonpartisan race, however they could not assist issues turning into fairly partisan when Trump endorsed Gonzalez. My colleague Daniel Rivero was at Gonzalez’s watch get together, and native Republicans instructed him they consider this can be a unhealthy signal for his or her get together going into the following yr’s midterm elections.
MARTIN: You already know, Miami is a majority Latino metropolis. It is, like, one thing like 70% Latino. Does this say something in regards to the Latino vote writ giant? Does this sign something a few wider development heading into these midterms subsequent yr?
CEBALLOS: That’s the massive query. You already know, specialists I spoke to had been watching this race to see if the Latino vote would shift from being overwhelmingly Republican after the primary yr of President Trump’s new time period. Many pockets of Miami had been staunch Trump supporters in the previous couple of elections. However – so this will likely consequence – this consequence would possibly sign a flip. There is a sense that president’s immigration insurance policies, like ICE detentions and rising value of dwelling, have maybe soured some voters on Trump. And I ought to word that this – that Eileen Higgins is the primary non-Hispanic to carry the workplace since 1996.
MARTIN: That’s Joshua Ceballos with WLRN in Miami. Joshua, thanks.
CEBALLOS: Thanks very a lot.
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