Carlos Gimenez Holds On to Win Mayoral Runoff in Miami-Dade

County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez narrowly won the mayoral runoff in Miami-Dade County Tuesday night, edging former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina in another low-turnout election.

With nearly all precincts reporting, Gimenez led Robaina, 51 percent to 49 percent, with barely 4,000 votes separating the two. In all, fewer than 250,000 votes were cast out of 1,221,592 registered voters. Turnout was estimated at a paltry 16 percent.

In the runup to the election, opinion polls had showed Gimenez taking the lead, despite Robaina's large fundraising advantage.

Robaina apparently saw the end coming around 9:30 p.m., when he tweeted thanks to his supporters and said, "Tomorrow's another day." Moments later, he conceded to Gimenez.

Robaina and Gimenez advanced to Tuesday's runoff after finishing first and second respectively in an 11-candidate field during the initial round of voting last month. Gimenez succeeds Carlos Alvarez, who was ousted in a recall this spring.

Voter turnout was below 20 percent in all three of the elections.

Both Gimenez and Robaina are Republicans. Robaina garnered the endorsements of the influential Latin Builders Association and socially conservative groups such as the Christian Family Coalition while Gimenez was endorsed by most media outlets and several gay-rights organizations.

The third- and fourth-place finishers in the first round of voting split their endorsements in the runoff. Former state Rep. Marcelo Llorente backed Gimenez and former rapper Luther Campbell, after some suspense, threw in with Robaina.

Robaina outraised Gimenez $1.68 million to $912,218, but he was hurt by persistent, and often unsubstantiated, press reports alleging cronyism and corruption in Hialeah.

Before the vote counting was complete, CJ Ortuno, executive director of the homosexual group SAVE Dade, issued a statement congratulating Gimenez on his victory and calling him "a true leader and champion of equality."

In addition to raising $8,000 for Gimenez, Ortuno said his group "targeted 10,000 SAVE Dade registered voters and made over 20,000 phone calls" on his behalf.