City of Miami Commission Chairwoman Christine King won her re-election bid on Tuesday, while Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former Miami city manager Emilio González will head to a Dec. 9 runoff in the race to become the city’s next mayor.
King received more than 84% of the vote, defeating challengers Marion Brown and Frederick Bryant. She now enters her second and final four-year term representing District 5, a Black-majority district that includes Liberty City, Little Haiti, Overtown, Wynwood, Edgewater and the Upper East Side.
“I did not win tonight. We won tonight. The community won tonight, and it’s all because of you,” King said to a crowd of supporters following Tuesday night’s election results. “It’s because of your love and your support and your prayers that I stand here today.”
She was joined by Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA Executive Director James McQueen, Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon, and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Meanwhile, the race for city mayor continues after none of the 13 candidates received the more than 50% required to win outright on Tuesday. Higgins received 36% of the vote, while González took 19.5% of the vote in a bid to succeed term-limited Mayor Francis Suarez.
“Tonight, the people of Miami made history. Together, we turned the page on years of chaos and corruption and opened the door to a new era for our city — one defined by ethical, accountable leadership that delivers real results for the people,” Higgins said in a statement.
Emilio González campaigning to become the next City of Miami mayor.
(Emilio González via Facebook)
In third place came former City of Miami Commissioner Ken Russell with 18% of the vote, followed by outgoing District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo with 11% of the vote, former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla with 5% of the vote, and Francis Suarez’s father and former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez with 5% of the vote. Candidates who garnered 2% or less of the vote include Michael A. Hepburn, Laura Anderson, Christian Cevallos, Kenneth James DeSantis, Elijah John Bowdre, Alyssa Crocker and June Savage.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins.
(Courtesy of Eileen Higgins)
In the District 3 race to succeed Carollo, former City Commissioner Frank Carollo, the incumbent’s younger brother, and restaurant manager Rolando Escalona will head to the December runoff. The candidates received 38% and 17% of the vote, respectively.
Residents also voted on four referendums. More than 70% of voters approved the amendment changes requiring a citizen charter review commission, a citizens’ redistricting committee, and lifetime term limits of two elections. Voters rejected the referendum that would have allowed the sale or lease of non-waterfront city-owned property without voter approval.
Of 174,462 registered voters in Miami, less than 22% participated in Tuesday’s election.