The Winner

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) won a third term in Florida’s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, by less than 1 point, defeating Democrat Leela Gray 49.5% to 48.7%. With more than 99% of votes counted, Luna led 155,189 to 152,698, a margin of 2,491 votes, according to Associated Press election results. No party affiliation candidate Tony D’Arrigo took 1.8%. The AP called the race at 2:38 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Nov. 5, two days after the election. ​

Luna’s margin, about 0.8% of the vote, sits above the 0.5% threshold that triggers an automatic machine recount under Florida law, according to FOX 13’s guide to the state’s recount rules. She will return to a House where Republicans are now in the minority after Democrats won control of the chamber.

The Race

The result was far closer than in 2024, when Luna beat Democrat Whitney Fox 54.8% to 45.2% under the old district lines. Florida’s Republican-led Legislature redrew the map this year to favor Republicans, removing Democratic-leaning parts of St. Petersburg and Gulfport in southern Pinellas County and extending the district north into Pasco County, according to WUSF’s election night report.

Gray, a retired Army brigadier general, won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary with 65.1% of the vote over Brandt Robinson and John Liccione, while Luna ran unopposed, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview. Before the election, Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rated the race Lean Republican.

The district is home to about 769,200 people, with a median household income of about $72,700. About 35.1% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and about 11% of residents live below the poverty line. The population is about 76.3% white, 11.5% Hispanic, 7% Black and 3.6% Asian.

What’s Next

Luna’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3. After her win, she told WUSF that enacting term limits for members of Congress would be one of her top priorities, and she pledged to stop accepting corporate PAC money. She currently chairs the Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, which Republicans created under their majority.

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