Democrat Higgins sensationally becomes mayor of Miami

Higgins, 61, led her opponent by almost 20%, although her campaign was built on criticism of Trump's immigration policies.

She is also the first woman to win the mayoral election in Miami. In a comment to the AP, she said that Miami voters did not support the “inhumane rhetoric” against migrants.

The Democrat's victory came as a surprise, as most of the city's residents are immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and other Latin American countries, who traditionally vote for Republicans.

Republican Congresswoman Maria Salazar called the results a "wake-up call" for her party. According to her, Latino voters want both border security and a strong economy, but also relaxation of rules for those migrants who have lived in the United States for many years and have no problems with the law.

Miami has a population of about 500,000 and is part of Miami-Dade County, which voted the most for incumbent US President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats are now viewing the new election result as a positive signal ahead of next year's midterm elections for Congress.

During the 2024 election, Trump was supported by 46% of Latino voters — a record among Republican candidates in the modern era.

The politician's success led to Vice President Kamala Harris receiving the worst result among Latino voters for a Democratic presidential candidate in the last 20 years.

Latinos voted for Donald Trump, despite his racist rhetoric describing undocumented immigrants and his claim that Puerto Rico is a "garbage island"