Newcomer Finishes First In Miami-Dade Special Election, Advances To June Runoff
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Marketing executive Eileen Higgins took first place in Tuesday's election to replace Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro. She will now face former commissioner's wife, Republican Zoraida Barreiro, in a runoff election in June for the non-partisan seat, according to news partner The Miami Herald.
Tuesday's special election was held to fill the empty District 5 seat previously held by Bruno Barreiro, who resigned to run for U.S. Congress.
Four candidates participated: Zoraida Barreiro, the ex-commissioner's wife; Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a former state senator; Carlos Garin, a television actor; and Eileen Higgins.
District 5 has about 95,000 registered voters, roughly 7 percent of the county's voter total. The winner of June's runoff will finish out Barreiro's remaining two years on the 13-seat commission.
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