Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says she raised $1.1 million for reelection

Facing likely Republican challengers in the near future, Democratic Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced that her 2024 reelection campaign has raised over $1.1 million during its first month.

While official fundraising reports for March are not due until Monday and have not yet been posted on the county’s supervisor of elections website, Cava said in a Wednesday news release she has begun the election cycle with $1.25 million through the new donations and approximately $150,000 remaining in her political committee, OurDemocracy. 

Although there are none in the race yet, Republicans are expected to eventually challenge her. Levine Cava won her office by eight points in 2020, succeeding Republican Carlos Gimenez, who is now in Congress. but since then a Republican shift in Miami-Dade has made the seat more competitive. 

While President Joe Biden won countywide by about seven points the year she was elected, Gov. Ron DeSantis bested Democrat Charlie Crist by 11 points in 2022, suggesting danger for countywide Democrat-aligned office holders if such trends continue in 2024. News outlets have already begun to speculate which local Republicans will enter the race against her.

Cava has yet to get any significant challengers. The only other candidate registered to run is Miguel “el Skipper” Quintero, a trapeze school owner who is suing the county and has said he doesn’t actually want the job.

The campaign says it has received over 1,000 contributions during the first month, with 600 of them being $100 or less. In a statement to City & State, Levine Cava said the early support she has received is a sign that residents believe she will continue delivering results, calling it “a true testament of how we can find common ground on our shared values so we can win the future.”

This story will be updated with information from her campaign finance reports when it’s available.