Daniella Levine Cava campaign reports $550K haul in 2 months before qualifying deadline

Image via Daniella Levine Cava for Mayor.

Daniella Levine Cava has amassed more than $550,000 in the last two months toward her bid to keep her job as Mayor of Miami-Dade County, her campaign says.

Combined with prior fundraising, she’s raised almost $4.6 million this election cycle to remain in office.

Official fundraising numbers for April 1-May 30 are due June 10. The qualifying deadline is the day after.

Last week, Levine Cava qualified for the race by petition. It marked the second consecutive time she did so.

She remains the only person to qualify for the Mayor’s race by petition in Miami-Dade history.

“I am truly humbled by the incredible support we’ve received from our community,” she said in a statement.

“Together, we’ve accomplished so much — from lowering costs to prioritizing safety and fostering innovation. With another four years of progress, I’m confident we can accomplish even more. Our work is far from over, and I’m eager to continue serving the residents of Miami-Dade County.”

Miami-Dade’s first woman Mayor and the first Jewish person to hold the office, Levine Cava faces six challengers this year.

Four are Republicans: Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, ex-Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger, actor Carlos Garín and social media influencer Alex Otaola. One, trapeze artist Miguel “el Skipper” Quintero, is a fellow Democrat. Independent transportation executive Eddy Rojas is running too.

The race is technically nonpartisan, meaning all candidates will face one another in the Aug. 20 Primary. To win outright, a candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote.

That isn’t likely, according to polling from Cid’s campaign, which indicates Levine Cava and Cid will compete in a runoff despite Levine Cava’s sizable advantages in funding, media coverage and the fact she’s running as an incumbent.

Polling from Levine Cava’s campaign tells a different story. It shows her with a 42-point lead over Cid, her closest competitor in the race. Fifty-three percent of respondents said they plan to vote for her compared to 11% for Cid, 10% for Otaola and 2% for Danzinger.

Both polls omitted Garín, Quintero and Rojas from their questions. And unlike the survey by Levine Cava’s campaign, the poll by Cid’s camp predicted an overshare of Republican voters in the Primary because of a crowded and partisan Sheriff’s race in which the GOP side — expected to soon include former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez — is far more competitive.

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