Ryan Nicol
Former Democratic presidential nominee and First Lady Hillary Clinton is backing Daniella Levine Cava in the race for Miami-Dade County Mayor.
“Local leadership is critical to moving our country forward,” Clinton said in a statement released Monday morning.
“That’s why I’m proud to support Daniella Levine Cava for Miami-Dade Mayor. She is prepared, she is qualified, and she is ready to shatter glass ceilings as the county’s first woman Mayor.”
Clinton served as First Lady during Bill Clinton‘s administration from 1993-2001. She then represented New York in the U.S. Senate after running and winning in 2000 for the seat.
Clinton ran for President in 2008, losing out in the Democratic primary to Barack Obama, who went on to serve as President for two terms. Obama also named Clinton as his Secretary of State, a role she held for four years.
In 2016, she served as the party’s nominee for President but narrowly lost to Donald Trump in the electoral college despite winning the popular vote.
Clinton’s announcement comes the same day Levine Cava released an internal survey showing her ahead of Esteban “Steve” Bovo by 15 percentage points. Both Bovo and Levine Cava currently serve on the Miami-Dade County Commission.
Though the race for Miami-Dade County Mayor is nonpartisan, Levine Cava has courted much of the Democratic support while Bovo has appealed to conservatives. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried endorsed Levine Cava following the Aug. 18 primary. The Miami-Dade Democratic Party has also sought to boost Levine Cava’s candidacy with ads.
Clinton’s Monday announcement — which comes on her 73rd birthday — continues that trend.
“I am deeply honored by Hillary Clinton’s support,” Levine Cava said in response to the endorsement. “Like her, I have spent my whole life fighting to lift up communities — and because of her, women like me will be able to shatter glass ceilings all across our country in 8 days. Happy birthday to our former Madam Secretary and onward to victory.”
