The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s primary just might be over before a ballot is cast.
Assistant Director of Investigative Services Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz, the highest ranking county police officer on the ballot, just got the mother of all endorsements for any Republican: former President Donald Trump.
Joe Sanchez, the presumed GOP frontrunner, must be crying in his cafecito.
The past POTUS, who is in the middle of the first of four criminal trials, posted his thumbs up on Truth Social.
“Rosanna Cordero-Stutz is running to be the next Sheriff of Miami-Dade County. After 28 years of exemplary service at the Miami-Dade Police Department, Rosanna has delivered Life-Saving Results for her Community,” Trump wrote. “As Assistant Director, Rosanna has proven she knows how to Crack Down on Crime, Support our Great Law Enforcement, and Keep our People Safe.
“I know as your next Sheriff, she will make us all proud. Rosanna Cordero-Stutz has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Read related: Joe Sanchez, James Reyes raise the most funds for Miami-Dade sheriff’s race
In a statement, Cordero-Stutz thanked Trump and said she was “humbled by the faith and trust” he has shown with his endorsement.
“Only in America could a Hispanic woman receive an endorsement from a former and future President of the United States,” she said. “We both agree. We cannot allow socialist policies to endanger our community and our values. Thank you President Trump.”
In forum after forum, Cordero-Stutz has said that none of the other candidates has the experience she has, including working on the transition to the sheriff’s office.
Cordero-Stutz, who got the endorsement in February from Congressman Carlos Gimenez, was seen at the LIV golf tournament in Doral earlier this month. Eric Trump, who she already knew, made the introduction and they spoke for 15 minutes, a campaign staffer said. When the former POTUS asked his son if he should endorse Cordero-Stutz, Eric reportedly said, “Dad, I know her. She’s good.’”
Insiders say Gimenez and his namesake son, a lobbyist who worked for Trump in the past, were more crucial to the endorsement than Eric. Tania Cruz Gimenez, the congressman’s daughter-in-law and a onetime candidate for Coral Gables commission, is running the campaign day to day and has been seen with Cordero-Stutz at every event, sometimes with hubby CJ Gimenez by her side.
Read related: Carlos Gimenez endorses Miami-Dade sheriff candidate Rosie Cordero-Stutz
Former Mayor Alex Penelas, a political analyst for Telemundo 51, said that Trump’s popularity among Republicans practically guarantees Cordero-Stutz a primary victory. But that it was a double-edged sword, because his approval ratings with Democrats and independents is abysmal.
Cordero-Stutz told Telemundo 51’s senior political reporter Marilys Llanos that she will remind voters that for 28 years she worked protecting this community and that it didn’t matter what party she belonged to. “When you call 911 they don’t ask you ‘What is your emergency? And what is your political party?’
“Experience counts. Preparation counts,” she said.
Cordero-Stutz is one of 13 Republicans running for county sheriff, a new elected position mandated by 63% of state voters in 2018. Miami-Dade voters passed Amendment 10 by a solid 58 to 42 percent. The position was eliminated in 1960 after a pair of scandals that included the burglary racket led by Sheriff T.A. Buchanan, whose officers would direct criminals to homes with good loot for a share of the wealth.
The open seat has attracted 17 candidates so far. Qualifying is from June 10 to June 14, so who knows? There could be more passengers in the clown car.
The other Republicans in the race, so far, are:
MDPD Maj. Jose Aragu — Currently assigned to the Midwest District, Aragu joined Miami-Dade Police in 2006. He spent his first year as an officer with the tiny West Miami Police Department.
Former MDPD Maj. Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez — Before he retired from MDPD IN 2017, Alvarez — now an attorney with his own law firm — worked for the force for 25 years, including a stint as the head of the special victim’s bureau.
Jaspen Bishop — An MDPD officer only since 2019, Bishop lives in Homestead.
Miami Police Officer Ruamen De la Rua — In 2013, De la Rua — the first to sign up for the race — came back to Miami Police, where he started in 1983 and worked patrol for almost four years. He spent the next 26 rising through the ranks at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, leaving as School Resource Commander.
Ret. MDPD Reserve Ofc. Alex Fornet — Fornet only spent a few months as an officer at Miami-Dade in 2008. He is now the owner of a credit-repair business in Doral.
Jeffrey Giordano, a 27-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, where he worked as a undercover officer, detective, public information officer and hostage negotiator. He released a video in February as “Gino the Magnificent,” evoking an old Johnny Carson skit.
Ret. MDPD Maj. Mario Knapp — In 27 years at Miami-Dade Police, Knapp has served as Captain of the Warrants Bureau, The Kendall District, and the Miami-Dade Police Training Bureau and has experience overseeing the Special Response Team, Dignitary Protection Unit, Bomb Squad, K-9 unit, Incident Management Team, Rapid Deployment Force, Marine Patrol Unit, Underwater Recovery Unit as well as General Investigations Unit and Uniform Patrol.
MDPD Sgt. Orlando Lopez — Lopez, who joined MDPD in 2005, works for the transit squad, which work the Metrorail and Metromover stations. He is the first LGBTQ liaison for the department and a member of Miami-Dade’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board.
MDPD Ofc. Rolando Riera — Riera joined the department in 2004 and is currently a sergeant in the Miami Lakes District.
Former PBA President John Rivera — For more than two decades, Rivera represented all county police officers as president of the Dade Police Benevolent Association. He was also a cop himself, having joined the department in 1975.
MDPD Ofc. Ernie Rodriguez — A 35-year veteran of the department, Rodriguez is currently with the MDPD Agricultural and Environmental Crimes unit.
Former Miami Commissioner and FHP Trooper Joe Sanchez — Elected to the Miami Commission in 1998, Sanchez left the dais in 2009 and has spent most of his law enforcement career in the public information unit. In 2014, he founded Badge Pros Consulting, dedicated to helping law enforcement agencies and private companies on security matters and traffic control. Sanchez has raised the most with a combined $415,000 between his campaign account and his Law and Order political action committee.
Whoever wins that primary in August will face one of the following four Democrats:
Maj. John Barrow — Currently head of MDPD’s Personnel Management Bureau, Barrow was a teacher before joining the police force 17 years ago.
Susan Khoury — A former federal law enforcement agent, Khoury sued the county for wrongful arrest after she was Baker Acted for taking video outside a school in 2017 and won a $520,000 judgement in 2022. That same year, she ran for county commission in District 10, losing to Anthony Rodriguez in the primary.
Retired Lt. Rickey Mitchell — Before retiring in 2006, Mitchell worked at MDPD for 25 years. He now owns a funeral home and has loaned himself $275,000 for his campaign.
James Reyes, the current Public Safety Director in Miami-Dade and the Daniella Levine-Cava/Christian Ulvert candidate. Reyes is the frontrunner and leading in the fundraising with $400,000 as of the latest campaign reports.
It shouldn’t be a partisan race, but it is. And it is going to be very partisan up through Aug. 20, when attention turns to the general and everyone is going to have to move more to the middle.
How is the Trump endorsement going to work for Cordero-Stutz then?
“I’m a fighter. And when things get hard, I fight harder,” the candidate said.
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