Ken Griffin, a major donor to Republican politicians, is supporting the re-election of Miami-Dade County’s Democratic mayor, while the Citadel founder works to expand his political influence in his new base.
Griffin, who moved to Miami from Chicago two years ago, donated $500,000 to Daniella Levine Cava’s campaign in June, according to a news release. Submit filesCava, 68, was elected as the county’s first female mayor in 2020. The position is nonpartisan.
A spokesman for Griffin did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours. So far this year, Kava’s political action committee has raised $1.6 million, with Griffin’s contribution the largest single contribution.
Griffin, who is worth $42 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has donated more than $60 million to Republican candidates this election cycle. Since moving to Miami in 2022, he has pledged to become more involved in Florida politics and has donated to other local politicians including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
In South Florida’s tiered government structure, the county sheriff has far more power than her city counterparts, including Suarez. Unlike Suarez, the former Republican presidential candidate who is now Under pressure at bay Due to conflicts of interest in his side jobs, Cava’s position is full-time. In 2023, Griffin donated $1 million to Suarez’s local political action committee.
As mayor of Miami-Dade County, Cava oversees 34 cities, including Miami, an annual budget of about $10 billion and about 30,000 employees.
Griffin has also donated money to charities that Cava has supported. This includes $5 million for a park and bike path and $3 million to a nonprofit also supported by Cava’s administration, Miami-Dade Innovation Authoritywhich distributes grants to companies working to find solutions to issues such as housing and climate change.