The only unexpected thing about the results from Tuesday’s Miami-Dade commission races is, perhaps, that Keon Hardemon didn’t win outright, meaning we will have four runoffs in November, not three, while three other races have been decided.
As of 11 p.m., and with only two precincts still out in District 3, Hardemon — a Miami city commissioner considered a shoe-in for the seat vacated by Commissioner Audrey Edmonson — wasn’t able to get over the halfway line, with 49.3% of the vote. That means Gepsie Metellus, the second highest vote getter with 21%, is still alive to fight in November.
The District 1 race between Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert and former county staffer and Black 
Lives Matter poster mom Sybrina Fulton was tight, as everybody expected. Even tighter than expected. With all precincts in, there was only 421 votes between them at 50.6 and 49.4%, respectively. At one point it was 26 votes apart. Great show for the first time candidate, the mother of slain teen Trayvon Martin, who had the endorsements of Hillary Clinton and Cory Booker. Is there a recount in the future?
District 11 is stuck with Commissioner Cranky Joe Martinez, who got 54%, which is okay, but certainly not a mandate. He should try to improve constituent relations. Former State Rep. Robert Asencio wouldn’t have won even with Cristhian Mancera‘s 16% added to his 30%. It must be a GOP stronghold because Democrats were leading countywide heading into Election Day.
Read related: Dems outnumber Republican voters in 300K+ Miami-Dade ballots already cast
And everybody knew former Sen. Rene Garcia was the defacto winner (among two Republicans) in District 13 to replace Esteban Bovo, who was termed out and is headed into a mayoral runoff. Garcia won with 77% of the vote. It would have been more if he had campaigned a little bit.
But we will have three real runoffs in the hotly contested districts.
In District 5, it’s already been a contest really between incumbent Commissioner Eileen Higgins and 
attorney Renier Diaz de la Portilla, a former State Rep and Miami-Dade School Board member. Miguel Soliman, who forced Round 2, was a ringer placed to take Hispanic votes from his baby brother, says Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who is running the campaign and will likely run the district. Renier got only 40% of the vote, but with Soliman’s 13%, it’s an anti-Higgins majority. But don’t feel too bad for The Dean. This gives him another three months to shake people down for campaign contributions, which is how he affords his lifestyle. It’s all about ADLP in the end, really, and he did win the Republican State Executive Committee’s State Committeeman post, beating State Rep. Bryan Avila as well as Garcia and former Commissioner Bruno Barreiro (who won his House primary). Alex is going to be more insoportable than ever.
Read related: Surprise GOP primary in HD112 as Bruno Barreiro tries to come back
It’s the same kind of story in District 7 where, with one precinct out, activist Michael Rosenberg (at 14%) and police officer Ralph Suarez (at 10%) 
stole an outright victory from either former State Rep and Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, who led with 40%, or former Miami-Dade School Board member and onetime mayoral candidate Raquel Regalado, who got 37%. Now these two women have to face each other straight on, without a buffer named Mike. It could get ugly.
Both Regalado and Diaz de la Portilla are underdogs in the general because they are Republicans and there is expected to be an even bigger Democrat turnout than Tuesday’s election, where blue votes outnumbered red in absentee and early voting. It’s going to be more hyper-partisan with Donald Trump on the top of the ticket and the left and right extremes of the commission going against each other for mayor. Even though Regalado is a moderate Republican who can get things done and Lerner is a nasty tyrant who disrespects her constituency, it’s going to be work for Raquelita.
In District 9, the top vote-geters don’t have to worry about a partisan race in November. Both State Rep. Kionne McGhee, who got 37%, and Homestead Councilman Elvis Maldonado, who got 23%, are Democrats. Maldonado just eeked out attorney and political insider Marlon Hill, who got 22%, but from who we will hear again soon. Johnny Farias should be proud that he got 11%, higher than Pastor Mark Coats‘ 7%.
Few surprises and four runoffs in Miami-Dade commission contests added by Ladra on
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