The 2011 Hialeah mayoral special election took place on November 15, 2011, following a first round on November 1, 2011. Former Mayor Julio Robaina resigned so that he could run for Mayor of Miami-Dade County.[1] Following Robaina's resignation, City Council President Carlos Hernández became Mayor.[2] Hernández ran in the special election to serve out the remaining two years of Robaina's term. He was challenged by former Mayor Raúl L. Martínez and former State Senator Rudy García. Though the race was formally nonpartisan, Hernández and García were Republicans, and Martínez was a Democrat.
In the first-round election, Hernández placed first with 40 percent of the vote, followed by Martínez with 34 percent and García with 26 percent. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election took place two weeks later. At the runoff election, Hernández defeated Martínez in a landslide, winning 61 percent of the vote.
The mayoral election took place in the midst of steep cuts in city government finances lead by Hernández, which he campaigned on in the election.[6] However, Hernández was attacked for the depth of the cuts, including to the city fire department,[7] and his opponents criticized his handling of the budget. García called for a forensic audit, while Martínez argued that he was better-suited for reforming the city's budget, pointing to his past experience.[6] The Miami Herald endorsed García, whom they praised as "[s]mart and well-versed on budget-making" and predicted "would bring consensus to a city that desperately needs it."[8]
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Government