‘Your law-and-order candidate’: Joe Sanchez debuts TV ads for Miami-Dade Sheriff’s race

Joe Sanchez took a leave of absence to run for Sheriff and urged his Primary opponents to do the same. Image via Joe Sanchez.

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez is launching his first TV ad campaign to support his bid for Miami-Dade Sheriff. It highlights what he sees as a stark difference between him and other leading candidates.

The ads are running on Fox News, Telemundo and América TeVé. Sanchez’s campaign said the initial ad buy will be for a five-figure sum, but the campaign plans to stay on the air throughout the election season with “strategic buys.”

A 30-second spot shared with Florida Politics depicts Sanchez describing himself as “your law-and-order candidate” for county Sheriff. He notes that he’s lived in Miami-Dade all his life, “unlike other candidates who live in Broward.”

“I’ve been a Republican all my life,” he continues. “I stand with President Trump and Gov. (Ron) DeSantis. Join me as we work together to make Miami-Dade the safest country in our nation.”

The Broward-based candidates to whom Sanchez refers are Miami-Dade Chief of Public Safety James, Assistant Miami-Dade Police Chief Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Miami-Dade Police Maj. John Barrow. As WLRN reported, all three live in Broward. Reyes and Barrow told the outlet they would move to Miami-Dade if elected.

In another ad circulating on social media, Sanchez’s campaign questions Cordero-Stutz’s GOP bona fides by showing her speaking in support of an initiative of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Reyes and Barrow are Democrats. Reyes, carries an endorsement from Levine Cava, who recruited him from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, where he spent all but two of his 24-year law enforcement career.

Barrow, who would become Florida’s first openly gay elected Sheriff with a win this November, called Levine Cava’s endorsement of Reyes “disrespectful to voters.”

Cordero-Stutz, a Republican, has struggled to compete with Reyes and Sanchez in fundraising. But she isn’t without an edge; Trump and former Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez, now a Republican Congressman, have endorsed her.

She dismissed Sanchez’s criticism of her out-of-county residency as jealousy over not getting the former President’s attention.

Miami-Dade hasn’t had an elected Sheriff since 1966, when county voters eliminated the position after a grand jury found rampant corruption within the department. Instead, the county has a Police Director, who is appointed by and reports to the Mayor.

That arrangement is changing this year. In 2018, 58% of Miami-Dade voters joined a statewide supermajority in approving a constitutional amendment requiring all 67 counties in Florida to have an elected Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser and Clerk of Courts by early 2025.

Other candidates running include:

— Lawyer and former police officer Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez, a Republican.

— Miami-Dade Police Maj. Jose Aragu, a Republican.

— Miami-Dade Police officer Jaspen Bishop, a Republican.

— Miami City Police officer Ruamen DelaRua, a Republican.

— Miami-Dade Police reserve officer Alex Fornet, a Republican.

— Police officer-turned-private investigator Jeffrey Giordano, a Republican.

— Former federal agent Susan Khoury, a Democrat.

— Retired Miami-Dade Police Maj. Mario Knapp, a Republican.

— Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Orlando “Orly” Lopez, a Republican.

— Retired Miami-Dade Police Lt. Rickey Mitchell, a Democrat.

— Miami-Dade Police Officer Rolando Riera, a Republican.

— Retired Miami-Dade sergeant and union President John Rivera, a Republican.

— Retired Miami-Dade Police officer Ernie Rodriguez, a Republican.

The Primary Election is on Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.