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The consensus that Florida is no longer a swing state may not come as a surprise, given former President Donald Trump’s victories in 2016 and 2020.
But Miami-Dade County remained a Democratic stronghold during both those elections and many thought it would stay blue in 2024.
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DECISION 2024
That didn't happen. On Tuesday, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the county in 36 years. The last Republican to win Miami-Dade was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
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On Nov. 5, what the Democrats feared came to pass: a wave of red swept across Miami-Dade.
Trump brought in 55.2% of the county votes, while Kamala Harris logged 43.71%, an abysmal showing compared to 2016, when Trump received 333,999 votes and Hillary Clinton brought in 624,146.
In 2020, President Joe Biden got 617,864 votes, or 53.4% of the total in Miami-Dade County. Trump got 532,833 for 46.1%.
Trump's win in Miami-Dade mirrored his win in the state, where he received 54.8% of the vote, while Harris got 44.2%. In 2016, Trump won the state over Clinton with 49.02% of the vote to Clinton's 47.82%. In 2020, Trump, with 51.2% of the vote, defeated Biden’s 47.9%.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade Republican Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz-Balart were re-elected with large majorities to the U.S. House of Representatives. And Republican Sen. Rick Scott triumphed over Debbie Murcasel-Powell, despite some polls that said the race was close, in what was a painful defeat for the former congresswoman.
Republican Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz easily won one of the most striking electoral battles when Miami-Dade voters elected her sheriff, a position that had not been elected for 60 years. It’s a blow to Democratic County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, as the position has great political and administrative power.
Other vital positions in the election in Miami-Dade were those of supervisor of elections and tax collector. There, the Republican victory was overwhelming.
Former Democratic state Rep. J.C. Planas obtained 44% of the votes and was widely defeated by Miami Republican state Rep. Alina Garcia, who got 56%. It’s a result that is also painful for the mayor of Miami-Dade, who backed Planas, a former Republican-turned-Democrat with positions on the left of the political spectrum.
Also in Miami-Dade, a tax collector was elected for the first time in more than six decades, which will be a partisan position. Republican Dariel Fernandez, with solid experience as a businessman and a deep-rooted commitment to his community, won 55% of the vote, while his opponent, former Miami Beach Democratic Commissioner David Richardson, an experienced CPA and business administrator, won 45%.
Two other victories for Republican conservatives were the rejection of Amendment 3, which sought to legalize recreational marijuana for adults at least 21 years old, and Amendment 4, which sought to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
One notable victory was that of Raquel Regalado, the first Miami-born Hispanic woman elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission, who won re-election for District 7 in a non-partisan election in a landslide, despite expectations of a closer battle. The race was a rematch, as Regalado had narrowly defeated Cindy Lerner in 2020.
The Democrats only managed two victories that were as notable as they were expected, those of Reps. Frederika Wilson for the 24th District and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for the 25th District.
Former Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado made a successful return to politics by winning the county property appraiser position.
In another crushing defeat for the Democratic Party, Annette Taddeo, who has lost every election she has been involved in over the past eight years, lost to Republican Juan Fernandez-Barquin in the Miami-Dade County Clerk and Comptroller race.
