Miami gives Dems hopes for Florida midterm magic. But hurdles loom large

MIAMI — After Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayor’s race on Tuesday, her campaign adviser sent a memo boasting the election created a “renewed sense of Democratic momentum across Florida and the country” — and predicted Democrats would be “supercharged with enthusiasm going into 2026.”

Democrats statewide and across the country exuberantly agreed, with the win in a race focused on affordability and government efficiency capping off a period of multiple wins for the party and raising hopes of a return to form in the once-vaunted swing state.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried told reporters Wednesday that the party would continue leaning into its “Pendulum Project” to organize year round in every county. She said it would be necessary to bring along independents and Republicans, just as Higgins did.

“We’re putting in the work,” Fried said. “We’re getting great candidates, and now it’s time for us to continue building this momentum into 2026.”



https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/miami-democrats-florida-midterms-00685470