Contact: Aly Ferguson
aly@newpolitics.org; 480-363-6465
The retired Army Brigadier General’s 30-year military record propelled her past the primary field, setting up a general election fight against Rep. Anna Paulina Luna in one of the country's most closely watched swing districts
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 18, 2026) — Retired Army Brigadier General Leela Gray, endorsed by New Politics, secured the Democratic nomination in Florida's 13th Congressional District and will now face incumbent Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna this November. Gray's campaign leaned heavily on her more than three decades in uniform, her work as an attorney for veterans, and her two-decade presence in the Tampa Bay community she hopes to represent.
Emily Cherniack, Founder and Executive Director of New Politics, released the following statement:
“When Leela Gray retired from the Army she didn't stop serving. Instead, she went to law school so she could keep fighting for her fellow veterans and now she's asking her neighbors in Tampa Bay to let her keep fighting for them in Washington. Floridians deserve a leader like Leela who will deliver real results for working families and always put our country first. She has New Politics’ full support as she takes on incumbent Anna Paulina Luna in November.”
New Politics is an organization that revitalizes American democracy by recruiting, developing, and electing leaders across the ideological and political spectrum who have committed their lives to serving their communities and our country, either through military service, national service organizations like AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, or by demonstrating strong service-based leadership in their community. New Politics’ support includes strategic advising and training in all aspects of a candidate’s campaign, such as fundraising, communications, organizing, hiring, and team building. New Politics has raised over $40 million to support over 475 candidates, successfully electing more than 200 of them to office, from Congress to School Board. Learn more at newpolitics.org.
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