Overview
- Voters decide Tuesday in a Dec. 9 runoff between Democrat Eileen Higgins and Republican Emilio González after a Nov. 4 field of 13 left Higgins at about 36% and González near 19.5%.
- Early voting and mail returns as of Sunday showed over 8,700 Democrats casting ballots compared with nearly 7,200 Republicans and about 5,000 unaffiliated voters, out of roughly 21,000 total votes.
- National figures have weighed in, with President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott backing González, and the DNC, Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and Jerry and Val Demings supporting Higgins, who campaigned in Miami with surrogates during early voting.
- Real estate donors have heavily favored Higgins since Nov. 4, contributing roughly $29,000 to her campaign versus just under $5,000 for González, on top of sizable pre-runoff industry support for her.
- Betting odds and selective polling reported ahead of Election Day point to Higgins as the frontrunner, as the candidates draw contrasts on housing, immigration cooperation and permitting reform; González also notes he sued successfully in July to keep the 2025 election on schedule.