How a congressional race may cost Levine Cava a top ally on Miami-Dade commission

The 2022 elections were already set to bring historic churn to the Miami-Dade County Commission — then Eileen Higgins revealed she plans to run for Congress.

With the weekend announcement from her campaign manager that Higgins will run in the Democratic primary for Congressional District 27, the District 5 commissioner set in motion a political timeline that could have voters selecting seven new members of the 13-seat county board later this year.

READ MORE: Two prominent Miami Democrats ready run against Republican Salazar for House seat

Along with adding a seat to the mix, a Higgins exit would cost Mayor Daniella Levine Cava a top ally on the commission. Higgins not only shares Levine Cava’s campaign manager, Christian Ulvert, but political support from labor unions, environmental advocates and progressive groups.

“On those big ticket items, Commissioner Higgins has been a supporter of the mayor,” said Michael Hernández, a former county spokesperson who now works for the LSN Communications lobbying firm and provides political analysis for Telemundo 51. “If I’m Mayor Levine Cava, I want Commissioner Higgins on the dais when big parts of my agenda are voted on.”

On Sunday, Ulvert released a statement that said the commissioner “is ready to take her fight to Washington [and] will be making a formal announcement imminently.”

Privately, Higgins has confirmed she plans to leave her District 5 seat on the County Commission and run for the District 27 seat held by first-term Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, according to several people who have spoken with her in the last several days.

On Tuesday, Levine Cava was complimentary of Higgins. “We need good representation everywhere,” she said during a brief interview ahead of the regular twice-a-month commission meeting.. “Commissioner Higgins is an outstanding human being and elected official. Wherever she serves, she will do a great job.”

Florida law would require Higgins to resign from the commission in advance of a congressional run, with a resignation due in early June that would take effect at the end of 2022 or early 2023.

The advance resignation would trigger an August election for the District 5 seat under the county charter, along with regularly scheduled elections for the even-numbered districts of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12.

Though commission elections are held every two years, this election is set to complete the historic churn that started in 2020. That’s when term-limit rules kicked in for five incumbents in office in 2012 when Miami-Dade voters approved a charter amendment limiting commissioners to eight consecutive years on the board.

This year, another five incumbents must leave due to term limits: Jean Monestime in District 2, Sally Heyman in District 4, Rebeca Sosa in District 6, Javier Souto in District 10 and Jose “Pepe” Diaz in District 12.

The term-limit rules put Higgins on track to be a senior commission member after only four years in office. Only District 11’s Joe Martinez, in office since 2016 after an earlier stint on the board, would have served longer after the 2022 elections if Higgins remained on the commission.

Higgins was elected as a first-time candidate in 2018, when commissioners called a special election to fill a vacancy caused when Republican Bruno Barreiro resigned for his own District 27 run — in a primary that Salazar won.

Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 9 points in 2020 in District 5, which includes part of Miami and Miami Beach. Redistricting commissioners approved this year made the district slightly more favorable to Democrats, Ulvert said, meaning a Higgins successor would “undoubtedly be a strong pro-worker, pro-labor ally of the mayor.”

Higgins’ influence on the board — she serves as chair of the Transportation committee — and pro-labor positions have some union leaders wanting her to keep her District 5 seat instead of pursuing a new role in federal politics.

“I would rather her stay on the County Commission,” said Jeffery Mitchell, president of the Transportation Workers Union Local 291 chapter, which represents county transit workers. “I spoke with her yesterday, but she just thinks the time is now. You can’t really fault her for trying to move up. ... I would hate to see her leave that post.”

A would-be Higgins opponent in the Democratic Party is using her influence over county policy as a negative, arguing progressives need her more on a commission where Democrats hold seven of the officially nonpartisan seats.

“Eileen serves a very important role on the County Commission,” said Ken Russell, the Miami city commissioner who also announced his own District 27 race over the weekend, after dropping a bid for U.S. Senate. “It holds the balance for Democrats on the dais, which is very important for people who fight for issues at the county, including organized labor.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 7:07 PM.