Donald Trump picks a favorite in the crowded race for Miami-Dade County sheriff

Former president Donald Trump waded into Miami-Dade County’s sheriff race on Wednesday, endorsing Republican candidate Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz in the Republican primary.

Trump endorsed Cordero-Stutz, an assistant director for the Miami-Dade Police Department, in a post on his Truth Social website, saying she “knows how to Crack Down on Crime” and “Keep Our People Safe.”

The possibility of a Trump endorsement has been a wildcard in a GOP primary for sheriff on Aug. 20 with 13 candidates. By snagging it, Cordero-Stutz’s rivals now must seek donors and public backers who are willing to pick a different candidate than Trump for a high-profile local race.

Cordero-Stutz’s campaign is run by family members of Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a former Miami-Dade mayor who has been a top surrogate for Trump from Miami since the former president began his 2024 presidential campaign.

READ MORE: Can Trump finally win Miami-Dade County? An early poll highlights Democratic worries

The congressman’s son and daughter-in-law, C.J. Gimenez and wife Tania Cruz-Gimenez, are the main consultants for Cordero-Stutz’s campaign. Trump and Cordero-Stutz met at the recent LIV Golf tournament at his Doral resort, setting the groundwork for Wednesday’s public backing.

“They talked for a while,” said Ed Russo, Trump’s longtime consultant on golf courses, who said he helped arrange the meeting. “They had a serious conversation about law and order.”

The endorsement landed during Trump’s criminal trial in New York over claims that he falsified business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to an alleged mistress. Trump lost Miami-Dade by 7 points in 2020, but polling suggests he could win it in a rematch with President Joe Biden in November.

The 13 Republican candidates face each other in an Aug. 20 partisan primary, so the Trump endorsement hands Cordero-Stutz a significant selling point to GOP voters in a race where she is trailing other candidates in fundraising.

The Trump endorsement also offers fodder for whoever wins the Democratic primary in a county where Democrats still outnumber Republicans.

While Trump has his candidate, Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t gotten involved in the Miami-Dade sheriff race. Voters approved a change to the Florida Constitution in 2018 mandating independently elected sheriffs in all counties, forcing Miami-Dade to end the existing system of the police department reporting to the mayor.

Trump, whose Trump Doral resort is one of Miami-Dade’s larger hotel properties, has gotten involved in local races before. His endorsement of Kevin Cabrera in the 2022 County Commission election boosted him to the front of the pack over establishment favorite Jorge Fors, then a Coral Gables commissioner.

This story was originally published April 24, 2024 at 5:39 PM.