Miami Beach residents elected a Republican mayor in Tuesday’s runoff election after Steven Meiner won the race by an eight point margin.
Republican Miami Beach Commissioner Steven Meiner faced off against Democrat Michael Góngora in Tuesday’s runoff race. He won the hearts of Miami Beach residents after largely channeling a Trump-esque law and order platform, putting an emphasis on “protecting our residents, reducing crime,” and wanting “a safer city.”
“Reducing crime, a safer city, mitigating traffic, responsible development, not overdevelopment, resiliency issues that we need to address,” Meiner said, according to NBC Miami.
“I just kept talking about it and talking about it, and I really believe we have great residents, we have great voters, and I believe that would resonate and the proof is in the pudding. We are standing here right now celebrating,” he continued.
“The first Commission meeting, I wanna hear from our police chief, our transportation director, our sanitation, code compliance,” he said, planning to meet with the police chief first.
With over 10,000 ballots cast, he won with 54 percent of the vote to Góngora’s 46 percent after no candidate reached the 50 percent threshold in the November 7 elections.
Technically, Meiner’s win is a flip, as the office is currently held by Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a Democrat who is restrained by term limits. However, Gelber endorsed him, deeming Meiner a “law and order guy.”
“He wants to implement all of these cultural projects, he wants to make the city more livable, so frankly, I am really pleased that he is going to be taking the helm of this city,” he said.
“Thank You Miami Beach for your trust! I am ready to get to work with our full Commission on our shared vision to make Miami Beach the safest most resident-friendly city in the nation. #MayorMeiner,” he wrote on social media.
“We never doubted it. I just kept hammering on the message, talking about what our residents care about,” Meiner said of his victory as his Democrat opponent offered his “heartfelt congratulations.”
“And I look forward to continue to work with him, our residents, the Commission for the good of Miami Beach,” he added, according to WSVN.
The GOP victory comes as Florida Republicans recently celebrated another voter registration win, as they now have a 680,030 registered voter lead over Democrats in the Sunshine State.
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