Republican incumbent Anna Paulina Luna won her District 13 seat in a highly-watched race against Democratic newcomer Whitney Fox.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Luna had 55% of the vote to Fox's had 45%. The Associated Press declared Luna the winner at 7:46 p.m.
The Democratic party was hoping that winning the seat could help them take back control of the U.S. House. The race was the only one in Florida that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put in its “Red to Blue” program.
Fox ran as a moderate in the Republican-leaning district and formerly served as the communications director for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
A recent poll had shown Luna and Fox locked in a tie.
Luna took the stage at the Pinellas GOP watch party at the Marriott Hotel in St. Petersburg soon after the race was called.
“Thank you for trusting me to do the right thing,” Luna told the crowded ballroom.
Speaking with reporters afterwards, Luna said that if Donald Trump wins the presidency, her first priority in office would be securing the border.
Luna was endorsed by Donald Trump and aligned herself as his supporter throughout her first term in Congress. She showed up to Trump’s trial in New York and introduced a bill to award him the Congressional Gold Medal, though that bill died in session.
The Republican newcomer gained national attention for her conservative views. She was part of a group of Republican legislators that opposed the former U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy to be speaker of the House. She also introduced a bill
Luna had declined to say how she’ll vote on Florida’s abortion ballot referendum though she’s described herself as “pro-life” in the past.
She’s spoken out against illegal immigration and her campaign states she “will fight to finish the border wall, end DACA, restore President Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, and crack down on criminal illegals in America.”
Before Luna took the seat in 2022, District 13 was represented by Democrat Charlie Crist, who resigned from his seat to run for governor.
The Republican-led legislature redrew the district in the GOP’s favor in 2022. The new map carved away more Democratic areas in St. Petersburg and added those to the district represented by Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor. The district includes much of Pinellas County to the west of U.S. 19 and Interstate 275.
Castor easily won her bid for reelection in Congressional District 14. She has represented the district since 2006. She beat Republican Robert "Rocky" Rochford, a retired U.S. Navy Captain by 54% to 44% with 88% of the precincts reporting.
Pinellas County residents also voted to increase a school tax that has been in place since 2004. With 98% of precincts reporting, voters approved of the referendum by a margin of 68% to 32%. The increase will bring the rate from .5 mill to 1 mill, which means property owners will pay $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. ]
Click here for Pinellas election results
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School referendum
Yes — 68%
No — 32%
State Senate
District 21
Hooper, Ed (REP) * Incumbent - 61.82%
Carroll, Doris H. (DEM) - 38.18%
State House
District 57
Anderson, Adam C. (REP) * Incumbent - 58.83%
Johnson, Kelly Lynn (DEM) - 38.62%
Larrivee, Robert "Bob" Arthur (NPA) - 2.55%
District 58
Berfield, Kimberly "Kim" (REP) * Incumbent - 57.66%
Beckman, Bryan (DEM) - 42.34%
District 59
Jacques, Berny (REP) * Incumbent - 58.68%
Douglas, Dawn (DEM) - 41.32%
District 60
Cross, Lindsay (DEM) * Incumbent - 46.36%
Montanari, Ed (REP) - 53.64%
District 61
Chaney, Linda (REP) * Incumbent - 56.24%
Bruemmer, Nathan (DEM) - 43.76%
District 62
Rayner, Michele K. (DEM) * Incumbent - 31.34%
Amador, Nelson (REP) - 68.66%
