Mayor Eileen Higgins Flipped Miami by Listening
What It Takes with Sarah McCammon, Episode 02
Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | iHeart | RSS Feed
In 2025, Eileen Higgins was elected the first female mayor of Miami and the first Democrat to lead the city in nearly thirty years. She beat a Trump-endorsed candidate by close to twenty points—in neighborhoods where many residents were skeptical of Democrats.
Higgins left a corporate career to run the Peace Corps in Belize, served as a diplomat, then won a county commission seat representing Little Havana. Now she's mayor of one of America's most immigrant-shaped cities.
Sarah McCammon sat down with Mayor Higgins in Miami to talk about building affordable housing, what it actually takes to win Latino voters, and why she's not afraid of the word "capitalist."
This was one of the most effective interviews I have read in along time. the Mayor of Miami blew me away with her experience, her creativity and her sensitivity. What a role model for a democratic leader! Thanks for brining that type of analysis to subscribers of What it Takes. I just joined!