Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins’ first three months of fundraising for the Miami Mayor’s race was quite fruitful, according to her campaign, which reported that she added almost $350,000 to her war chest.
That may place her at the front of a nine-way contest for the city’s most prominent elected post, though official campaign finance reports from several of the candidates — Higgins included — aren’t yet in.
Higgins’ campaign said the sizable haul came through her campaign account and two political committees, Rebranding Politics and Ethical Leadership for Miami, between when she filed April 2 and the end of Q2 on June 30.
Altogether, her campaign said, Higgins held about $850,000 heading into July.
“These numbers reflect what I’m hearing across every neighborhood in Miami: residents are ready for leadership they can trust, results they can see, and a mayor who shows up and delivers,” Higgins said in a statement.
“I’m honored and energized by the overwhelming support we’ve received from the community. We’re building a campaign that mirrors how I’ll lead: with integrity, transparency, and a deep commitment to getting things done for the people of Miami.”
Others running to succeed Mayor Francis Suarez include former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, candidates Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, Ijamyn Gray, Michael Hepburn, Max Martinez and June Savage, and ex-Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, who raised $69,000 last quarter through his campaign account and saw another $681,000 collected through Mission Miami, a political committee supporting his candidacy.
Gonzalez is suing the city, Suarez and three of Miami’s five Commissioners for a recent decision to postpone the election from this year to November 2026, a move that sparked outcry from residents and candidates and drew a threat of legal action from Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also warned city officials against the move, which Uthmeier maintains is unconstitutional and in violation of the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter.
The Miami Mayor job is a “weak Mayor” post, meaning the office is largely symbolic and its holder carries little governmental power aside from being able to hire and fire the City Manager and veto City Commission items.
Notably, Suarez has not vetoed the election-delaying measure that would give him and the City Commission’s five sitting members an extra year in office.
Candidates face a Thursday deadline to report all campaign finance activity through June 30.
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Editor’s note: This report was updated to include fundraising through Mission Miami.
