National Security Leaders for America backs Eric Lynn

National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) is endorsing Democratic candidate Eric Lynn for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, an announcement made in a letter signed by over 206 members.

NSL4A is a bipartisan organization that supports national security and American democracy. The organization is composed of more than 500 former senior leaders from the military and national security-related government agencies, as well as elected officials at the state and local levels.

“We know what happens when party loyalties replace patriotism,” NSL4A said in their letter. “We know what happens when people decide violence is acceptable. We support Eric Lynn because, unlike his opponent, he understands that we cannot allow that to happen here.”

“As former national security leaders, we all took oaths. Those oaths were not to an individual or a party. They were to the Constitution and the nation of laws it embodies. To this day, our oaths dictate our actions,” the letter continues.

The endorsement comes just after VoteVets, which advocates for veterans, announced its support of Lynn.

Lynn, a former national security advisor, is endorsed by Crist, several Democrats from the Florida delegation, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and a host of other current and former officials.

“I am honored to be endorsed by National Security Leaders for America,” Lynn said in a statement.

“As a native of Pinellas who spent years working on National Security and as Senior Advisor to Secretaries of Defense from both parties, and as a veteran advocate here in Pinellas, I know we need leadership that will put the people of Pinellas and our shared values over politics. That’s the representative I’ll be in Congress.”

Lynn faces Air Force veteran Anna Paulina Luna in the November General Election. Luna won the GOP August Primary with 44% of the vote, defeating fellow Republican Kevin Hayslett.

Luna took the Republican nomination for the Pinellas County seat back in 2020, but failed to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist. But now, the seat is open, with Crist eyeing the Governor’s Mansion. And there’s a better chance for Republicans to flip it, thanks to redistricting.

After DeSantis signed his new congressional map, the district shifted from purple to red — it now extends further north into traditionally Republican parts of Pinellas County and eliminates parts of St. Petersburg, which was previously the district’s largest city and served as a Democratic stronghold. The district voted for Trump by 7 points in 2020 and for Gov. Ron DeSantis by 4 points in 2018.

But recent polling shows the pair locked in a tie for CD 13.