Weekend poll pushes Daniella Levine Cava for Miami-Dade County mayor

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In phone calls and text messages, Miami-Dade voters got a survey over the weekend that measured our value on issues and asked who would get our vote if the election was today.

Donald Trump or Joe Biden? Esteban Bovo or Daniella Levine Cava.

And it seems, just from the questions and descriptions of the candidates, that the poll is on behalf of Levine Cava, who came out on top in poll results announced last week by Bendixen & Amandi, which polled 500 voters for The Miami Herald. She got 39% of the vote and Bovo got 32% (with 29% undecided).

The push poll over the weekend might just be an attempt to confirm that.

“Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, has lived in South Florida for 40 years, raising her two children in Miami-Dade with her husband. A former attorney, Levine Cava founded the Human Services Coalition, now known as Catalyst Miami and was elected as a Miami-Dade Commissioner in 2014,” reads the bio information the poll provides on DLC.

“As Mayor, Levine Cava would prioritize transparency in county government, investing in infrastructure to create jobs, expanding affordble housing, and fighting for paid sick leave.”

Read related: Esteban Bovo leads mayoral race, goes to runoff vs Daniella Levine Cava

The bio on Bovo was short and not so sweet: “Esteban ‘Steve’ Bovo, a Republican, has lived in Miami-Dade County for nearly 50 years. Bovo was appointed as a Councilman for the city of Hialeah in 1998, has served in the Florida Legislature, and was elected as a Miami-Dade Commissioner, serving as its chairman from 2017 to 2018. As Mayor, Bovo will prioritize ensuring transparency, fairness and fiscal responsibility.”

You know it’s not from his campaign if it doesn’t say protect our police.

Not to say police reform wasn’t in the poll, because it was. A lot.

There were several questions in the survey to gauge the campaign value of certain issues, including using budgeted police funds to pay for social services that could help keep people out of jail.

Using a numerical score to rate an issue “not at all” or “extremely” important, voters were asked how important were the following priorities:

• Increasing access to COVID-19 testing and healthcare
• Requiring local law enforcement to hold people for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE
• Creating an independent civilian panel to provide oversight of police
• Reallocating a portion of money currently spent on policing toward increasing local community services like mental health and substance abuse treatment, education and affordable housing
• Stopping the construction of a proposed $400 million new jail

It’s not that Ladra remembers all this. I took screen saves. This was in the smart phone survey that Ladra herself got Saturday after clicking on a link in a text message.

And don’t we already have an independent review panel?

Another voter, registered to a different party and living in a municipality (Ladra lives in UMSA), said she got a phone call with pretty much the same questions (read: talking points).

After rating the priorities and choosing a mayor if the election were today, Ladra’s survey presented a “series of statements from people who support” Levine Cava — their bold, not mine — and asked me to “indicate how convincing that statement is as a reason to vote for Levine Cava.”

So it’s a poll and a focus group at the same time.

Read related: Miami-Dade ignores calls to move some police budget funds to social services

“Too often, people who committed a crime are simply thrown in jail without the opportunity for rehabilitation or treatment. As Commissioner, Daniella Levine Cava opposes the construction of a $400 million jail.”

Is that very convincing? Somewhat convincing? Not at all convincing?

Two of the statements say DLC will end the local detainer policy that holds immigrants who are arrested for ICE to pick up and will provide community IDs for undocumented immigrants. Another one says she sponsored a resolution to make June “Pride Month” and another says she co-sponsored the proposal to create the independent citizen review board.

Could they have been prompted by the answers to the priority rating? Hmmmmmmm.

The survey again asks who would get the mayoral vote if the election was today. Then it goes into the same issues — but on Bovo’s side.

“Now you will read just a little information about the other candidate for mayor, Esteban Bovo. Supporters say Bovo will make keeping Miami-Dade safe a top priority. As Mayor, Bovo will make sure law enforcement is fully funded and free of red tape like independent review boards that could keep them from doing their job. He has pushed for the construction of a new jail in Miami-Dade County and co-sponsored local policy to hold people for ICE.”

Then, “given everything you’ve read” the survey asks the voter to cast their vote again, as if the election were today.

In addition to basic demographic information — race, age, ethnicity — the poll also asks voters their opinion of Gimenez, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and President Donald Trump, as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union — two organizations that would likely support Levine Cava, if they support anyone.

The survey also asks how voters feel Gimenez is doing at his job and who they would vote for as president if the election was today.

In other words, it was fun.

But it was also clearly a Levine Cava driven poll. And there were a couple of new descriptions for her. Who knew she was an attorney? Like practicing? And its the first time Ladra has seen her talk of raising children. It was almost like creating a new narrative for the social worker, water warrior, LGBT champion candidate. Now, she’s an attorney and a mother? Who knew?

Campaign finance law should require disclaimers on polls when they are obviously pushing (read: promoting) candidates.

Look here in this space in a few days or a week to see what the poll results show. Who else can’t wait?

  Daniella Levine Cava, Esteban Bovo, Mayor’s race 2020