Contact: Aly Ferguson
aly@newpolitics.org; 480-363-6465
WASHINGTON D.C. (May 20, 2026) — New Politics today endorsed Leela Gray for Congress in Florida's 13th Congressional District. A retired Army Brigadier General who spent more than three decades in uniform, including two combat deployments, Gray has built a lifetime record of service that represents exactly who New Politics was created to support.
Emily Cherniack, Founder and Executive Director of New Politics, released the following statement:
“Leela Gray has spent her entire life answering the call to serve — as a soldier, as a lawyer fighting for veterans, and as a community leader. After thirty years in uniform and two combat deployments, she still wasn't done serving. The people of Florida deserve someone in Congress who has proven she will put others first, and Leela's record of service speaks for itself. New Politics is proud to stand with her in this race.”
Retired Army Brigadier General Leela Gray is a third-generation veteran, attorney, small business leader, and mother running for Congress in Florida's 13th Congressional District. The first in her family to attend college, Leela worked her way through school and served more than 30 years in uniform, including two combat deployments and a peacekeeping mission. She retired in 2018 as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Central and subsequently advised U.S. Army Cyber Command on modernizing national cyberpolicy. After retiring from the military, Leela served on non-profit and private sector advisory boards, and earned her law degree to help veterans access healthcare and other critical benefits. Leela and her husband, Tony, have lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years and are proud parents of their daughter, Bailly. Learn more at leelagray.com.
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.
