Ryan Nicol
Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Daniella Levine Cava says she’s exceeded $2.5 million added to her campaign after a haul of more than $200,000 in March.
The current District 8 County Commissioner has been one of the best fundraisers in the contest as she campaigns to be the county’s first female Mayor. Former Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas has led in that regard, adding more than $3.5 million through February.
Levine Cava is also seeking to be the first candidate in county history to qualify for the ballot via petition. To that end, she’s added 18,000 petitions, though not all are verified as of yet.
Candidates must submit 14,254 signatures to qualify for the 2020 ballot. That number equals signatures from 1% of total registered electors in Miami-Dade county.
Levine Cava’s team says 11,000 petitions have been verified so far, with another 7,000 submitted in March. Her team says he verification rate has “hovered at 85% valid.” Should that trend hold, she would eclipse the required 14,254 signature minimum.
She has until April 28, 2020 to submit the required number of signatures to the county. Alternatively, a candidate can pay $2,800 for the filing fee.
“This is an incredible milestone, and I’m so grateful for every single one of you who has donated and volunteered, especially those of you who helped us cross the finish line by making calls from home during the COVID-19 outbreak,” Levine Cava wrote in an email blast to supporters regarding the campaign update.
Levine Cava is one of eight candidates competing to be the county’s next Mayor. But much of that campaigning has grinded to a halt due to social distancing measures installed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
To work around that reality, Levine Cava’s staff has turned to virtual phone banking to collect those necessary petitions. Her campaign will continue adding petitions to help ensure she crosses the minimum benchmark. The campaign has set a new goal of 20,000 signatures to be added by the April 28 deadline.
