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Mayoral election in Hialeah, Florida (2021)
- Election date: 11/2/2021
- Registration deadline(s): 10/4/2021[1]
- Online registration: Yes[2]
- Same-day registration: No
- Start of early voting: 10/23/2021[3][4]
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): 11/2/2021 (received)[5][6]
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.[7]
2025 →
← 2017
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| 2021 Hialeah elections |
|---|
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: July 26, 2021 |
| Primary election: November 2, 2021 General election: November 16, 2021 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2021 |
Esteban Bovo Jr. defeated Isis Garcia-Martinez, Fernando Godo, Julio Martinez, and Juan Santana in a nonpartisan primary election for mayor of Hialeah, Florida, on November 2, 2021. Bovo received 59 percent of the vote, meaning he won the primary outright. If no candidate had received a majority of the votes, the top-two candidates would have competed in a general election on November 16, 2021.
Media attention focused on Bovo and Garcia-Martinez, who also led in fundraising.[8][9][10] After winning a seat on the Hialeah City Council in 1998, Bovo was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2008 in District 110 and served on the Miami-Dade county commission from 2011 to 2020. Bovo ran for mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 2020, coming in first in the primary but losing the general election. Garcia-Martinez served on the Hialeah City Council from 1991 to 1997 and again from 2007 to 2019.[11]
Infrastructure, traffic, pandemic response measures, and housing and utility costs were major issues in the race.[12] The Miami Herald's Aaron Leibowitz wrote, "The front-runners, Bovo and Isis Garcia-Martinez, have to distinguish themselves: They’re both conservatives, both of Cuban descent, and both staples on the Hialeah political scene...On key issues, Bovo and Garcia-Martinez have similar platforms: keep taxes low, promote new development, support small businesses, address high water rates, and work to keep and attract young people to the majority-Cuban, working class city."[13]
Bovo and Garcia-Martinez disagreed on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bovo agreed with DeSantis on a rule issued by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo that prevented school districts from enforcing mask mandates and making quarantine decisions, saying “I’m not in favor of mandates on anything." Garcia-Martinez did not explicitly support mask mandates, but said DeSantis should do more to encourage mask wearing. "I’ve always been a Republican, but I totally disagree with this governor,” she said. “We don’t want to just mandate something, but the reality is, you don’t want to lose families to this virus."[14] Click here to read more about the candidates' platforms.
Bovo and Garcia-Martinez criticized each other's records in campaign materials. A mailer from Garcia-Martinez's campaign said Hialeah “deserves better than a career politician like Bovo,” while Bovo's campaign distributed mailers saying the city “can’t trust Isis to run Hialeah’s finances” because of her votes on taxes during her time as a city council member.[15]
Although the elections for and position of the mayor are officially nonpartisan, the candidates running are affiliated with political parties. Both Bovo and Garcia-Martinez are affiliated with the Republican Party.[16][17]
The mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national and international levels. The incumbent Mayor Carlos Hernandez was term-limited.
Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:
 Bovo |
 Garcia-Martinez |
 Godo |
 Martinez |
 Santana |
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Hialeah
Esteban Bovo Jr. won election outright against Isis Garcia-Martinez, Fernando Godo, Julio Martinez, and Juan Santana in the primary for Mayor of Hialeah on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Esteban Bovo Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 58.9 | 13,060 |
 | Isis Garcia-Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 21.6 | 4,787 | |
 | Fernando Godo (Nonpartisan)  | 16.4 | 3,642 | |
 | Julio Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 1.9 | 423 | |
 | Juan Santana (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 243 | |
| Total votes: 22,155 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Florida elections, 2021
November 2, 2021
- City elections in Hialeah, Florida (2021)
- Mayoral election in Miami, Florida (2021)
- Miami, Florida, Biscayne Marine Partners Waterfront Development Lease Charter Amendment (November 2021)
November 16, 2021
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[18]
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Miami-Dade County Commission (2011-2020)
- Florida House of Representatives (2008-2011)
- Hialeah City Council (1998-2008)
Biography: Bovo was born in Queens, New York in 1962. He received an associate’s degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1983 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University in 1987.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Hialeah in 2021.
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
Hialeah City Council (2007-2019)
Biography: Garcia-Martinez was born on May 18, 1967, in Havana, Cuba. She graduated from Miami Springs Senior High and attended Miami Dade College and Barry University. Her professional experience includes working in healthcare, early education and with senior citizens. She served on the Miami-Dade County Health Task Force.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Hialeah in 2021.
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Fernando Godo is the Editor-in-Chief of 1% Magazine, political analyst and contributor for various media outlets. Fernando was born in Marianao, Havana, Cuba. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Havana. An avid chess player, he was a two-time gold medalist (individual and team) in the Cuban chess championship and subsequently chess coach for Havana’s Youth Team. In 2013, he co-founded 1% Magazine, an English and Spanish language publication that specializes in American economic and constitutional issues. He served as Florida Spokesperson for Senator Ted Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign. Fernando is a regular guest on various radio and television talk shows where he provides analysis and commentary on a wide range of topics. His daily show “A Tranca Limpia” airs at 9 pm on YouTube (Fernando Godo 1%). Fernando is also an accomplished author, having published several books and articles. His most recently published books include Celos de copos de nieve and Horas Contigo."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Hialeah in 2021.
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
Hialeah City Council (1982-1985)
Mayor of Hialeah (1990-1993)
Biography: Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba. He served in the United States Army from 1961 to 1967 and graduated from the United States Air Force Institute in 1962 and Fort Lauderdale Business College in 1971. Martinez worked at J and H Aluminum Products from 1971 to 1990 and owned two businesses, Julio Martinez Boxing Promotions and East Side Boxing Gym, from 1982 to 1985.
Show sources
Sources: Veterans for American First, "Veterans for America First” proudly publishes the interview of our esteemed member Julio Martinez, candidate for the mayoral seat in Hialeah and Vietnam veteran, with international journalist Vicky Richter from Germany.," September 23, 2021; CBS Miami, "A Former Mayor In Hialeah Wants His Job Back," June 22, 2021; Prabook, Julio J. Martinez, accessed October 10, 2021
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Hialeah in 2021.
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Santana attended Florida International University and worked as vice president of Positive hits Community service group.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Hialeah in 2021.
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
As of October 11, 2021, no polls had been conducted for this race.
Campaign finance
The following campaign finance information was last updated on October 27, 2021, and does not include candidates who dropped out of the race or did not file reports.
Noteworthy endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
| Noteworthy endorsements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Bovo | Garcia-Martinez | Godo | Martinez | Santana | |
| Elected officials | ||||||
| U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R)[19] | ✔ | |||||
| Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)[20] | ✔ | |||||
| State Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. (R)[21] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Tom Fabricio (R)[22] | ✔ | |||||
| Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R)[23] | ✔ | |||||
| State Rep. Alex Rizo (R)[24] | ✔ | |||||
| U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R)[25] | ✔ | |||||
| Individuals | ||||||
| Former FL House Speaker José Oliva (R)[26] | ✔ | |||||
| Former Mayor Julio Robaina[27] | ✔ | |||||
| Former President Donald Trump (R)[28] | ✔ | |||||
| Organizations | ||||||
| Fraternal Order of Police[29] | ✔ | |||||
| Police Benevolent Association (PBA)[30] | ✔ | |||||
| Veterans for America First[31] | ✔ | |||||
Campaign advertisements
This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.
Esteban Bovo Jr.
Supporting Bovo
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Isis Garcia-Martinez
Supporting Garcia-Martinez
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Fernando Godo
Supporting Godo
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Julio Martinez
Supporting Martinez
A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.
Campaign themes
- See also: Campaign themes
Esteban Bovo Jr.
Campaign website
Bovo’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Steve Bovo’s platform to move Hialeah forward.
Bovo’s Proven Record
|
” |
| —Esteban Bovo’s campaign website (2021)[33] | ||
Isis Garcia-Martinez
Campaign website
Garcia-Martinez’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Isis Garcia-Martinez Platform
Isis has a plan for the future of Hialeah:
|
” |
| —Isis Garcia-Martinez's campaign website (2021)[34] | ||
Fernando Godo
Campaign website
Godo’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Platform
|
” |
| —Fernando Godo's campaign website (2021)[35] | ||
Julio Martinez
Campaign website
As of October 10, 2021, campaign themes for Martinez were unavailable.
Juan Santana
Campaign website
Santana’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Time to work on the Infrastructure!
Time to Reopen Our Parks
Time to Work on Transportation Improvements
Time to Work on Businesses
Time to Work on Hialeah Fire Department
Time to legalize
Hialeah Police Department
The Hialeah APP
Over Development One year Moratorium
The CDBG (Community Development Building Grant)
|
” |
| —Juan Santana's campaign website (2021)[36] | ||
Mayoral partisanship
Mayoral elections were held in 28 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2021. Once mayors elected in 2021 assumed office, the mayors of 64 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party.
The following top-100 mayoral offices changed partisan control in 2021:
- Mayor John J. Lee of North Las Vegas, Nevada, announced that he was changing his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican on April 6, 2021.[37]
- David Bronson (R) was elected as mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, on May 11, 2021. He assumed office on July 1, 2021, replacing nonpartisan Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in local elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many areas. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local election. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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Election history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2011.
2017
The city of Hialeah, Florida, held a primary election for mayor and the Group V and Group VII seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A general election was scheduled for November 21, 2017, but was not necessary because the top vote-getter won a majority of the vote in each primary. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 31, 2017.
The Group VI seat on the city council was also up for re-election in 2017, but incumbent Paul Hernandez won re-election automatically when no other candidates filed to run against him. Incumbents also filed for re-election in the mayoral race and one of the other city council races. The incumbent in the final city council race, Group V Councilman Luis Gonzalez, was not eligible to run for re-election in 2017 due to term limits.[38][39] Incumbent Carlos Hernandez defeated Tania Garcia and Juan Santana in the primary election for mayor of Hialeah.[38]
| Mayor of Hialeah, Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Carlos Hernandez Incumbent |
78.80% | 11,636 |
| Tania Garcia | 15.62% | 2,307 |
| Juan Santana | 5.57% | 823 |
| Total Votes | 14,766 | |
| Source: Miami-Dade County Elections, "November 7, 2017 - Fall Municipal Elections," accessed November 22, 2017 | ||
| Click [show] on the right for information about other elections in which this candidate ran. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2013
Carlos Hernandez won re-election in the 2013 election for mayor of Hialeah, Florida. He defeated Julio J. Martinez and Juan Santana in the nonpartisan primary on November 5, 2013.[40][41][42]
2011On November 15, 2011, Carlos Hernandez defeated former mayor Raul Martinez.[43]
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About the city
- See also: Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. As of 2020, its population was 223,109.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Hialeah uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[44]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Hialeah, Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hialeah | Florida | |
| Population | 223,109 | 21,538,187 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 21 | 53,653 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 78.3% | 71.6% |
| Black/African American | 1.8% | 15.9% |
| Asian | 0.6% | 2.8% |
| Native American | 0% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | N/A | 3.3% |
| Multiple | 14% | 6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 95.7% | 25.8% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 71.3% | 88.5% |
| College graduation rate | 17.6% | 30.5% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $38,471 | $57,703 |
| Persons below poverty level | 19.6% | 13.3% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Hialeah, Florida | Florida | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Miami-Dade County, "Election Calendar (2021)," accessed July 27, 2021
- ↑ To register online, voters must have a either valid Florida driver license or Florida identification card. Voters without these materials may still use the online registration tool to pre-fill a registration form, which he or she must then print, sign, and mail/deliver to his or her county Supervisor of Elections' office.
- ↑ Miami-Dade County, "Early Voting," accessed July 27, 2021
- ↑ AARP, "How to Vote in Miami’s 2021 Municipal Elections," July 26, 2021
- ↑ Absentee/mail-in ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 2, 2021. Ballots may be returned by mail, deposited at an early voting location during business hours, or hand-delivered to the Miami-Dade Elections Department during business hours. Learn more here.
- ↑ Miami-Dade County, "Vote-by-Mail Ballot," accessed July 27, 2021
- ↑ Miami-Dade County, "Voting on Election Day," accessed July 27, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Hialeah mayoral, city council race kicks off as deadline to qualify for the ballot passes," July 27, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Steve Bovo Jr. officially running for Hialeah Mayor," July 7, 2021
- ↑ CBS Miami, "Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo Officially Running For Mayor Of Hialeah," July 8, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ South Florida Media Network, "Hialeah’s future will be in the hands of a new mayor soon," April 9, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Donald Trump endorses Esteban ‘Steve’ Bovo for Hialeah Mayor," October 8, 2021
- ↑ Cuban Studies Institute, "Esteban L. Bovo, Jr," accessed October 18, 2021
- ↑ In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Donald Trump endorses Esteban ‘Steve’ Bovo for Hialeah Mayor, October 8, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ [https://veteransforamericafirst.org/endorsements/ Veterans for America First, "Endorsements," accessed October 11, 2021
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Esteban "Steve" Bovo, “Platform,” accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Isis for Mayor, “Platform,” accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Fernando Godo, “Platform,” accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Santana 4 Mayor, “Home,” accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee says he’s becoming a Republican," April 6, 2021
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with the Hialeah city clerk," August 14, 2017
- ↑ Hialeah City Charter, "Section 2.02. - City Council," accessed August 14, 2017
- ↑ Miami Dade County Elections, "Official Primary and Special Elections Ballot for November 5, 2013," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Hialeah Incumbents Are Easy Victors," November 5, 2013
- ↑ Miami Dade County Election Results, "Official 2013 Election Results," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ Miami-Date County Elections, "November 15, 2011 Election Results," accessed October 14, 2013
- ↑ City of Hialeah, "Government," accessed October 28, 2014
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