Janelle Irwin Taylor
Former Miami Beach Mayor and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Philip Levine endorsed Alan Cohn Tuesday for Florida’s 15th Congressional District.
Cohn is running for the Democratic nomination to replace Republican incumbent Ross Spano. Cohn faces Rep. Adam Hattersley in the primary.
“Alan Cohn has never been afraid to hold the powerful accountable, fight for working families, and an economy that works for everyone. His work as an investigative reporter has had tremendous impact from Tampa to Tallahassee to Miami Beach where he exposed a fraudulent charity claiming to support the families of fallen police officers,” Levine said. “It’s never been more important to have a representative in Congress with those skills and experience and that’s why I’ll be helping to elect Alan Cohn to Congress in the FL-15.”
Levine has made millions in the cruise line industry. He founded and serves as CEO of Royal Media Partners, the exclusive onboard media partner for Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Levine served as Miami Beach Mayor from 2013 until 2017 before running unsuccessfully for Governor. Despite his third placed finish in the race, Levine made a name for himself statewide After dumping nearly $30 million of his own money into his gubernatorial campaign, Levine could also be a potential big donor for Cohn.
“I am honored to have the support of Mayor Levine in our campaign for Congress. Mayor Levine has been an important voice on several issues from creating climate change infrastructure to aiding Puerto Rico in their recovery efforts. I look forward to having his help and guidance on the campaign trail,” Cohn said.
Cohn has also collected endorsements so far from former U.S. Senator and former Gov. Bob Graham, his daughter, former Congresswoman and one-time Levine foe Gwen Graham. Cohn also has support from the Teamsters union, United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union.
The winner of the primary will have an interesting race against Spano, who has been at the center of 2018 campaign finance controversy stemming from illegal loans to his campaign. Friends loaned Spano money, which he then loaned to his campaign, a clear finance violation. Spano is under federal investigation for the mistake.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is using the campaign finance scandal to target Spano as one of its top takedown prospects this year. While the group hasn’t endorsed in the primary, it will no doubt be a force for good to whomever emerges victorious in the Democratic primary.
