November 4, 2025 • 6 mins
Florida Politics Reporter Jesse Scheckner takes a look at the top 6 candidates for Miami Mayor and how today's election might play out.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's go to the hotline and bring in Florida Politics
reporter Jesse Schechner to talk about the race for mayor
in Miami. You can find Jesse's work, including a great
piece on all of this, at Florida politics dot com. So, Jesse,
first of all, how many people are in this race
is like forty too many?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Too many A baker's doesn't thirteen I'd say six have
any sort of chance at winning, and the rest that
I admire their ambition and wishes to improve the city
where they live, really kind of don't have much business running.
They're not going to win. There's, you know, close to
(00:40):
zero chance of their winning.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Now, in your piece where you look at the top
six candidates for Miami mayor, you talk about this position
being a weak mayor position. Can you explain what that means?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Sure? So, Yeah, Miami operates under a mayor, city commissions,
city manager former government. It's known colloquially as weak mayor.
It's a setup where the mayor, while technically the CEO
of the city, doesn't have much power other than being
able to veto measures the city commission passes and hire
(01:15):
and fire. The city manager, who operates as Miami's chief
administrative officer. The situation in Miami isn't for lack of
an attempt to change it. The current mayor, outgoing term
limited Mayor Francis Warez, twice attempted and failed to switch
the setup at city Hall to a strong mayor form
(01:37):
of government like that of Miami Dee County, where the
elected mayor is also the local government's manager and directs
the administrative staff.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
We're joined by Florida politics reporter Jesse Scheckner talking about
the race for mayor in Miami. So, who is the
favorite at this point on election day? Doesn't mean they're
going to win, But going into the election today, is
there any one who would be considered the front runner?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So oddly, you know, there hasn't been a tremendous amount
of polling on this race. The polling that has been
done indicates that Eileen Higgins, the Miami Dade Commissioner, and
you know one of I believe you know two prominent
(02:23):
Democrats that have a chance at winning, the other being
former city Commissioner Ken Russell. Polling is repeatedly shown that
she is among the favorites, as is Emilio Gonzalez, the
former city manager. He's a Republican. Now this is a
nonpartisan race. What's interesting about Gonzales is that while he
(02:45):
came in as a strong contender for the race, his
stock really shot up when he successfully sued the city
to keep he currently elected officials there from delaying the
election to twenty twenty six, a move that they said
would increase voter turnout lower costs for the city, but
(03:06):
that was also done without voter input and essentially earned
undeservedly each of the current sitting members on the DAIS,
in the mayor and in the mayoralty an additional year
in office. So he successfully sued them and won it.
Won praise from Governor Ron DeSantis and Senators Ted Cruz
(03:29):
and well now former senator you know, our Secretary of
State Marco Rubio, and many many others. So a lot
of people are thinking that this is a you know,
going to turn into a runoff. That's what I believe too,
that it is going to probably turn into a runoff
between Gonzales and Higgins. But you know, it's really hard
(03:50):
to count out Joe Carroyo, who is just you know,
there isn't a politician in the City of Miami with
more staying power, some would say undeservingly as Kroo. And
then of course, you know Ken Russell, He's he's an
artist when it comes to getting attention online in a
really positive fashion, having a really progressive message that resonates
(04:15):
with people, and and so yeah, that's it's hard to
say if I were a betting person and I am,
and the online betting has gone this way in a
lot of ways. It's it's between Higgins and Emilio Gonzales.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Now what about the Souarez family and their role in
this race, Well.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Xavier Suarez is uh, you know, he's not running because
you know, he you know, he thinks that he can't
do the job. He's, you know, a smart guy. He's
he's held the job before. He served as a Miami
Dade County commissioner too, and the only reason he isn't
in that job now is because the county and post
term limits that required him to leave. He's a strong
(04:54):
contender too. It's just, you know, again, there's so many
people running that it's really miss It tates, you know,
narrowing the field in one's own eyes to kind of,
you know, determine who is likely to him. From what
I've seen, uh that the passions really rest with with Gonzales,
with Higgins, potentially with Caroyo. So again, if if you
(05:15):
know Suarez one, if Alex Diaz de la Portillo one,
if Ken Russell won. You know, that's why I made
the list the way that I made the list. And
it's not my own metrics, it's poling, it's the you know,
the long you know, they all are also the longest
residents in the race. There's a lot of newcomers, a
(05:36):
lot of people who haven't been in Miami, uh, you
know for very long, who believe they should change the
city and so yeah, and they also are the best fundraisers.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
All right, Again, you could check out the report look
at the top six candidates for Miami mayor at Florida
politics dot com. Jesse Scheckner, reporter for Florida Politics with
us this morning. Jesse. Really appreciate the breakdown, Thanks so much,
Thank you the time. The Ryan Gorman Show five to
nine every weekday morning on news radio WFLA
Let's go to the hotline and bring in Florida Politics
reporter Jesse Schechner to talk about the race for mayor
in Miami. You can find Jesse's work, including a great
piece on all of this, at Florida politics dot com. So, Jesse,
first of all, how many people are in this race
is like forty too many?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Too many A baker's doesn't thirteen I'd say six have
any sort of chance at winning, and the rest that
I admire their ambition and wishes to improve the city
where they live, really kind of don't have much business running.
They're not going to win. There's, you know, close to
(00:40):
zero chance of their winning.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Now, in your piece where you look at the top
six candidates for Miami mayor, you talk about this position
being a weak mayor position. Can you explain what that means?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Sure? So, Yeah, Miami operates under a mayor, city commissions,
city manager former government. It's known colloquially as weak mayor.
It's a setup where the mayor, while technically the CEO
of the city, doesn't have much power other than being
able to veto measures the city commission passes and hire
(01:15):
and fire. The city manager, who operates as Miami's chief
administrative officer. The situation in Miami isn't for lack of
an attempt to change it. The current mayor, outgoing term
limited Mayor Francis Warez, twice attempted and failed to switch
the setup at city Hall to a strong mayor form
(01:37):
of government like that of Miami Dee County, where the
elected mayor is also the local government's manager and directs
the administrative staff.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
We're joined by Florida politics reporter Jesse Scheckner talking about
the race for mayor in Miami. So, who is the
favorite at this point on election day? Doesn't mean they're
going to win, But going into the election today, is
there any one who would be considered the front runner?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So oddly, you know, there hasn't been a tremendous amount
of polling on this race. The polling that has been
done indicates that Eileen Higgins, the Miami Dade Commissioner, and
you know one of I believe you know two prominent
(02:23):
Democrats that have a chance at winning, the other being
former city Commissioner Ken Russell. Polling is repeatedly shown that
she is among the favorites, as is Emilio Gonzalez, the
former city manager. He's a Republican. Now this is a
nonpartisan race. What's interesting about Gonzales is that while he
(02:45):
came in as a strong contender for the race, his
stock really shot up when he successfully sued the city
to keep he currently elected officials there from delaying the
election to twenty twenty six, a move that they said
would increase voter turnout lower costs for the city, but
(03:06):
that was also done without voter input and essentially earned
undeservedly each of the current sitting members on the DAIS,
in the mayor and in the mayoralty an additional year
in office. So he successfully sued them and won it.
Won praise from Governor Ron DeSantis and Senators Ted Cruz
(03:29):
and well now former senator you know, our Secretary of
State Marco Rubio, and many many others. So a lot
of people are thinking that this is a you know,
going to turn into a runoff. That's what I believe too,
that it is going to probably turn into a runoff
between Gonzales and Higgins. But you know, it's really hard
(03:50):
to count out Joe Carroyo, who is just you know,
there isn't a politician in the City of Miami with
more staying power, some would say undeservingly as Kroo. And
then of course, you know Ken Russell, He's he's an
artist when it comes to getting attention online in a
really positive fashion, having a really progressive message that resonates
(04:15):
with people, and and so yeah, that's it's hard to
say if I were a betting person and I am,
and the online betting has gone this way in a
lot of ways. It's it's between Higgins and Emilio Gonzales.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Now what about the Souarez family and their role in
this race, Well.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Xavier Suarez is uh, you know, he's not running because
you know, he you know, he thinks that he can't
do the job. He's, you know, a smart guy. He's
he's held the job before. He served as a Miami
Dade County commissioner too, and the only reason he isn't
in that job now is because the county and post
term limits that required him to leave. He's a strong
(04:54):
contender too. It's just, you know, again, there's so many
people running that it's really miss It tates, you know,
narrowing the field in one's own eyes to kind of,
you know, determine who is likely to him. From what
I've seen, uh that the passions really rest with with Gonzales,
with Higgins, potentially with Caroyo. So again, if if you
(05:15):
know Suarez one, if Alex Diaz de la Portillo one,
if Ken Russell won. You know, that's why I made
the list the way that I made the list. And
it's not my own metrics, it's poling, it's the you know,
the long you know, they all are also the longest
residents in the race. There's a lot of newcomers, a
(05:36):
lot of people who haven't been in Miami, uh, you
know for very long, who believe they should change the
city and so yeah, and they also are the best fundraisers.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
All right, Again, you could check out the report look
at the top six candidates for Miami mayor at Florida
politics dot com. Jesse Scheckner, reporter for Florida Politics with
us this morning. Jesse. Really appreciate the breakdown, Thanks so much,
Thank you the time. The Ryan Gorman Show five to
nine every weekday morning on news radio WFLA
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