Just a few days ago, Democrats added another victory to their off-year election tallies: the City of Miami’s Mayor.
The race was officially non-partisan, but Democrat Eileen Higgins took the win by nearly 60% against Republican challenger Emilio Gonzalez. This marks the first time a Democrat will hold the 305’s top job since 1993.
For Democrats, the win emboldens their push to win back control of congress and even make gubernatorial pick-ups in 2026. As for Republicans, the results of this race forces them to reconsider their strategy for 2026, and maybe even 2028, as the race for the White House will likely begin soon.
The clock is ticking, and the GOP cannot be lazy. In order to maintain what they built in 2024 and continue to add to it, Republicans must do several things: address the party’s gapping youth void, bridge the gap between Donald Trump’s popularity and down-ballot voting and build up the next generation of leaders.
Youth Problem
It’s no secret that most young voters tend to lean democratic. Democrats hold a 27-point registration advantage over Republicans among voters ages 24 to 33. Republicans begin to edge ahead in registration among voters 43 and older.
Democrats have an advantage through effective organizing on college campuses, leaving the GOP to essentially view these groups as a lost cause. This is a ticking time bomb that they can’t afford to sit on much longer. The opportunity to make inroads with this group should be next year, despite young voters still leaning in favor of the DNC, they have a growing distaste for both parties according to NPR.
Young voters care about one major issue that typically swings the pendulum in favor of Republicans — the economy.
In Miami, the cost of living is 21% higher than the national average according to Payscale. Higgins has campaigned on lowering that cost of living by trying to lower the operating budget of the city and giving that discount to residents through cutting taxes.
Essentially, Higgins beat the Republicans at their own game. Although Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed to eliminate property taxes across the state earlier this year, this Miami Democrat successfully branded herself as a champion of the wallet.
If the GOP cannot articulate its economic vision to young voters where they live and study, they will continue to lose them. They need to appeal to voters by slightly shifting towards the middle on key social issues such as gay marriage, abortion and immigration if they want to meet the voters where they are.
The Trump Factor
Another glaring problem during this election was voter turnout, specifically Republican turnout. This was not a Miami exclusive problem. Areas where Trump had made gains in the 2024 elections saw significant drops in the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey according to the Associated Press. As previously stated, if Trump is not on the ballot Republicans seem to forget that elections happen.
Gov. DeSantis made note of the GOP’s complacency in a Fox News interview shortly after the Tennessee congressional special election, which Republicans narrowly won in a typically safe district.
“I think Republicans have an issue that Donald Trump has created a big pool of voters, but some of them are unique to him,” DeSantis told Fox and Friends. “They’ll vote for all the Republicans when Trump’s on the ballot. But if he’s not on the ballot, some of them don’t vote.”
Republicans need candidates who can drive turnout on their own merits. The contrast is stark when looking at DeSantis’s own 2022 performance. In that midterm, he carried Miami-Dade County by 11 points and won 58% of the Latino vote statewide. He achieved this because he offered a specific, bold brand of governance that excited the base independently of national winds.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles confirmed that President Trump is planning to be out on the campaign trail during the midterms. “I haven’t quite broken it to him yet, but he’s going to campaign like it’s 2024 again,” Wiles told The Mom VIEW.
She also added that it is unusual for a President to be so involved but that they’ll be flipping tradition “on its head,” to try and maintain as many of the seats in congress as possible.
Whether or not it could be effective remains to be seen given the President’s low approval rating, hovering anywhere from the mid-30s to low 40s.
New Leadership
The party has another ticking time bomb on its hands, the man himself. President Trump will become the fourth out five living presidents who will be ineligible to seek a third term in office due to the 22nd amendment. Trump has already floated around two very big names as the party heir apartments: Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
While figures like Vance and DeSantis have the populist edge that much of the MAGA base is energized by, someone like Rubio has experience and middle of the road appeal that many voters could be looking for.
Vance is already viewed by many in the party as the next President, and he polls well against most Democrats, including the favorite to get the nomination, Governor Gavin Newsom of California.
If Rubio wants the nomination, he would need to run on his experience, lean into his hispanic identity and evolve beyond the polished Senate style and tap into the raw, populist excitement that fills arenas.
Just as 2024 served as a wake-up call for Democrats, 2025 must be one for Republicans. If the GOP can learn the right lessons, they can build momentum that will catapult them not just to a successful midterm defense in 2026, but to a defining era of conservative dominance in 2028.
The alarm is ringing — it’s time to answer it.