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2024 Election: U.S. Congressional District 13 candidate profiles

By FOX 13 News Staff
Updated  October 28, 2024 9:50am EDT
2024 Election
FOX 13 News

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna - Republican

TAMPA - U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna is running for a second term in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Luna, 35, is a Republican.  She represents Florida’s Congressional District 13, covering most of Pinellas County. She faces democratic challenger Whitney Fox in the November 5 general election.

According to Luna’s biography on her official House web page, she was born in California to a single mom in 1989. After graduating from high school in Los Angeles, Luna joined the Air Force, where she began studying for college.  She graduated from the University of West Florida in 2017 with a degree in Biology.

While in the Air Force, Luna met her husband, Andy Gamberzky, a Bronze Star recipient who earned a Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan. The couple lives in St. Petersburg with their young son.

Luna first ran for Congress in 2020 but was defeated by incumbent Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor of Florida who served in the House as a Democrat. She ran again in 2022, defeating Democrat Eric Lynn, 53.1% to 45.1%.  According to her House bio, she is the first Mexican American woman to represent Florida in the U.S. House.

Luna is an outspoken critic of abortion and a strong supporter of gun rights.  In the House, she serves on the Natural Resources and Oversight and Accountability Committees. 

In October, she, along with Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz, co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to provide $15 billion in response to Hurricane Helene, including $10 billion for direct disaster relief.  She has been a consistent voice against additional funds for Ukraine, voting to ban sending cluster munitions to Ukraine in 2023.  In 2024, she voted against $60 billion in miliary aid for Ukraine. She also co-sponsored the "Ukraine Fatigue Resolution", which calls for suspending U.S. Aid to Ukraine.

District 13 is a Republican-leaning district covering most of Pinellas County including Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Seminole, East Lake, Oldsmar, Gulfport and portions of St. Petersburg.  According to the state’s Division of Elections, the district had 205,211 registered Republicans and 150,684 registered Democrats as of July 22, 2024. 135,911 voters registered as "No Party Affiliation".  Another 54,340 were registered as members of minor, third parties.

Whitney Fox - Democrat

Whitney Fox is a Democrat from Pinellas County, running to represent Florida’s U.S. 13th Congressional District.   She is challenging U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican who is running for her second term in the November 5th general election.

Fox is a marketing expert and former Director of Communications for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.  She resigned her position in October 2023, filing to run for Congress soon after. During the August 20th primary, she soundly defeated a field of Democrats, setting the stage for her Congressional run against Luna.

Fox was born and raised in Tampa Bay by a single mom.  She is married with two children, both girls.  She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2010 with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations. 

On the issues, Fox is a supporter of abortion rights and has called on Congress to pass a federal law guaranteeing abortion access nationwide.   According to her campaign website, she supports expanded access to birth control.  Fox also supports more gun control measures and has been endorsed by Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was shot and killed in the Parkland school shooting.

Fox has called for more affordable housing and increasing down payment assistance and low interest loans for first-time home buyers.   According to her campaign website, she also supports rental assistance and laws that encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units.

District 13 is a Republican-leaning district, but Democrats say they are focused on flipping it.  On August 27, a "Florida Politics" poll conducted by St. Pete Polls showed Fox with a 4-point lead over Luna.  Two days later, a "Club for Growth" poll showed Luna with a 5-point lead over Fox. 

District 13 covers most of Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Seminole, East Lake, Oldsmar, Gulfport and portions of St. Petersburg. According to the state’s Division of Elections, the district had 205,211 registered Republicans and 150,684 registered Democrats as of July 22, 2024. 135,911 voters registered as "No Party Affiliation".  Another 54,340 were registered as members of minor, third parties.

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