Miami-Dade mayor, a Democrat, addresses county's seismic political shift

Daniella Levine Cava will serve another four years as Miami-Dade County's mayor, but last week’s general election results leaves the strong mayor in a political bind.

Republicans won all the county’s constitutional races and the Democrats only hold a one-seat advantage on the county commission.

“I am going to be the mayor; I’ve always been working across the aisle,” Levine Cava told NBC 6 Friday.

It’s the first time Levine Cava addresses election night results with NBC 6.

 For the first time since 1988, President-Elect Donald Trump carried Miami-Dade, a county that typically goes democrat.

Miami-Dade voters also had the chance to vote for other constitutional officers.

Juan Fernandez-Barquin won the clerk of courts race with 55 percent of the vote.

Tomas Regalado was elected the county’s property appraiser with 57 percent of the vote.

In the race for tax collector, Dariel Fernandez beat his opponent with 55 percent of the vote.

Florida State Representative Alina Garcia won the Supervisor of Elections race with 55 percent of the vote.

For the first time in decades, Miami-Dade County has an elected sheriff in Rosie Cordero-Stutz, who was endorsed by Trump and won her race by 55 percent.

Political analysts point out all these candidates won their races with numbers that almost mirror the gap between Trump and Democratic Candidate Kamala Harris. Trump won Miami-Dade with 55 percent of the vote.

The mayor, a Democrat, will now have to work with all these newly elected officers.

“I’m in a nonpartisan seat, and I have a lot of support across all sectors. And that is how I will continue,” Levine Cava said Friday.

While the County Commission is supposed to be non-partisan, of the 13 commissioners, seven are Democrats and hold a slight majority.

As for the Republican sweep, Levine Cava called it a national phenomenon.

“It’s time for deep reflection,” she said. “I think the Democratic Party needs to really think about how they’re reaching out to people.”

In August, Levine Cava was elected for another term and exceeded the threshold needed to win the race, earning 58% of votes and avoiding a November runoff.

"I knew that we would be unstoppable, and unstoppable we were," Levine Cava said to a cheering crowd at a watch party.

In 2020, Levine Cava became the first woman elected mayor of Miami-Dade County.

"In some ways, it was more difficult because I had a record and people chose to attack it," she said. "As compared to in 2020, when there were many more and then we had a runoff."

During her victory speech, Levine Cava vowed to be a mayor for all people, regardless of political party affiliation.

"It doesn't matter to me whether you voted for me or not. I'm going to continue to do everything in my power, work day and night... to solve our problems," she said.