The Miami-Dade County Commission District 5 seat has not been open for 20 years. Former Commissioner Bruno Barreiro resigned earlier this year to run for Congress, causing the need for a special election. In the May 22 primary , newcomer Eileen Higgins, a progressive Democrat, took 35 percent of the vote, and Barreiro’s wife, Zoraida Barreiro, came in second with a close 33 percent. Higgins says it was a surprise to her that a progressive message and candidate resonated more with people of Miami