The Democratic National Committee is getting involved in the Miami mayor’s race
The Democratic National Committee is “all-in” on Eileen Higgins in the race for Miami mayor after Donald Trump endorsed her opponent, Emilio González.
The national arm of the Democratic Party — which doesn’t usually get involved in local mayoral races — is planning to promote the race to its “national distributed volunteer base” to help turn out voters. The DNC is actively recruiting bilingual volunteers in Miami and plans to host virtual phone banks in support of Higgins.
The DNC’s announcement Thursday of their support for Higgins marks the latest flash of national attention on Miami’s technically nonpartisan mayoral race, with Democrats eager to land a win in Florida ahead of the next year’s midterms.
“Between now and Election Day, the DNC is all-in to elect Eileen Higgins and ensure Miami families have a champion who is fighting for them, not Donald Trump,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said.
The DNC attention on the race comes after Donald Trump gave González his “complete and total endorsement” on social media Sunday. That endorsement turned the local race into a “referendum on him in his own backyard,” according to anti-Trump Republican political consultant Mike Madrid.
The chance for a rejection of Trump in a county he flipped red in a presidential election for the first time in decades last year is especially appealing to Democrats.
“When you organize everywhere, you can win anywhere — including here in Florida, where Democrats are fighting to flip Miami’s mayorship for the first time in nearly 30 years,” Martin said.
It wouldn’t be the first time Democrats use a local mayoral race as evidence they still have a pulse in Florida: State party Chairwoman Nikki Fried pointed to Democrat Donna Deegan’s win in Republican-led Jacksonville as a symbol of hope for the beleaguered party throughout the 2024 election cycle.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also attended a fundraiser for Higgins last month, but told the Herald at the time that she was not formally working with the campaign.
Both mayoral candidates have publicly demurred about the partisan overtones of their campaigns, each insisting they’re running for all of Miami, as national partisan stakes descend on the race.
“We welcome all support in this election as Commissioner Higgins continues to build on her strong momentum and enthusiastic community support,” Higgins’ campaign manager Christian Ulvert said in a statement to the Herald about the investment.
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