Miami-Dade

Carlos Gimenez Cruises to Re-Election as Miami-Dade Mayor Over Raquel Regalado

Miami-Dade County voters have spoken and Carlos Gimenez will serve a second term as mayor.

Gimenez defeated Raquel Regalado, a former school board member and the daughter of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, in Tuesday's election.

"It feels great to be re-elected as the mayor of Miami-Dade County," Gimenez told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night.

Gimenez said they're working to build a great city and said his focus is to create more economic opportunity.

"Our message is we are creating one of the great cities in the world right now, right before your eyes," Gimenez said.

Regalado also spoke to her supporters Tuesday night, calling it a David and Goliath battle..

"To come this close is nothing that we should be ashamed of," Regalado said in her concession speech Tuesday night.

Regalado said she was proud of taking on the incumbent who raised more than $8 million. She also wished Gimenez well in the next four years.

"I hope that this time around he considers the voters that voted against him and rethinks some of his priorities at county hall," she said.

Gimenez won after not being able to win outright in August's primary. The two top vote getters in that election met this time.

"I want to congratulate my friend Mayor Carlos Gimenez on his decisive victory this evening," Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said in a statement. "He has been a true champion of Miami-Dade County and I am excited to see him continue to serve our community for the next four years."

The race was at times contentious, with Regalado twice filing a lawsuit to get Gimenez taken off the ballot after he put the wrong date on his qualifying check to the Supervisor of Elections.

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