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Famous as the only major U.S. city founded by a woman, Miami elected its first woman to run the Magic City on Tuesday.
Eileen Higgins became the first Democrat to win the mayor’s seat in nearly three decades by defeating Emilio González, who had the backing of President Donald Trump, with 59 percent of the vote. Many likely recognized González from his two decades in politics, including stints as director of immigration services under George W. Bush and city manager of Miami. But Higgins is a relatively new face in South Florida politics, winning her first seat in 2018.
So many are likely wondering, who is mayor-elect Eileen Higgins?
Early Life
Higgins, 61, was born in Dayton, Ohio, but raised in New Mexico. She reportedly relocated to Miami in the early 2000s after earning a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from Cornell University.
Political Background
She won a special election in 2018 to fill a Miami-Dade County Commission seat vacated by Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and won two subsequent elections in 2022 and 2024. Representing a conservative-leaning district that includes Little Havana, Higgins leaned into the nickname “La Gringa,” the Spanish shorthand for a white American. Higgins served on the commission for seven years before resigning ahead of the mayoral election.
As commissioner, Higgins says she invested nearly $3 million in grants for hundreds of small businesses and has created or planned nearly 7,000 affordable housing units in the county.
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Professional Background
Before shifting into marketing and later politics in the United States, she spent years abroad on development projects in Latin America, led the Peace Corps operation in Belize, and served as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State.
She “was blessed to live in Belize as the Peace Corps Country Director,” Higgins wrote on her blog. She later transferred to Mexico and focused on programs aimed at reducing violence and identifying solutions to climate change.
According to her LinkedIn, Higgins led the implementation of the U.S.’s first nationwide AI policy framework. She routinely testifies before Congress for policy perspectives on panels held by institutions like the Brookings Institute, Accelerator for America, the Kresge Foundation, and Harvard University.
Plans for Miami
Higgins has prioritized affordable housing throughout her campaign. She also plans to focus on restoring trust in City Hall, helping law enforcement maintain safety, improving transit and walkability, and promoting sustainability (such as protecting Biscayne Bay and investing in flood mitigation).
Her campaign page says she hopes to fix the permitting process in an effort to “get our government moving for small businesses and homeowners, protect tax dollars, and make City Hall work for us by building safer neighborhoods and a more affordable future.”
After Trump endorsed González, Higgins made it a point to distance herself from the president’s “cruel” immigration policy. “We are an immigrant-based place. That’s our uniqueness. That’s what makes us special,” she told Madrid-based publication El País.
