24-year old progressive Peter Owen enters race for CD 13

Image via Peter Owen.

A 24-year-old Democrat is running for Florida’s 13th Congressional District. Peter Owen will face Whitney Fox, a seasoned communications professional, and retired pilot Mark Weinkrantz for the chance to take on incumbent Republican Anna Paulina Luna for the seat.

Owen turns 25 in January, making him eligible to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, which has a minimum age requirement of 25 years of age.

In his campaign announcement, Owen said he has grown up in Pinellas County and “has always been dedicated to public service and creating positive change in his community.”

He said he plans to be an “innovative and forward-thinking” leader who will bring “fresh perspectives and progressive values” to the district.

His announcement addressed his young age, touting it as a benefit that “represents a new generation of leaders who are ready to tackle the pressing issues facing our nation.” He also touted his ability to bring “fresh ideas and a modern approach to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Owen would be the youngest member elected to Congress, younger even than Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who won election at age 26 to Florida’s 10th Congressional District.

It’s worth noting though that neither Luna, the incumbent, nor Fox, one of the Democrats running for the seat, are particularly old compared to the congressional makeup overall.

Fox is just 36 while Luna is 34. The average age of members of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress, which concluded in January, was just over 58 years old.

But age isn’t the only issue Owen is touting. He also points to his ability to provide inclusive representation as a young Puerto Rican.

He will also be a progressive voice in the race, writing that he is “committed to finding pragmatic and innovative solutions” to things like health care access, reproductive rights, education and job creation. He said he would emphasize social justice, environmental sustainability and economic equality.

Any Democrat in the race would face an uphill battle in the district, but a self-described progressive candidate may have an even harder time.

CD 13 shifted in 2022 from a blue district to red with Luna’s election. She won the district, which covers much of Pinellas County, in 2022 amid a red wave in Florida after the Legislature approved new congressional maps that shifted the voter registration advantage from favoring Democrats to favoring Republicans. She ran previously in 2020, losing to then-incumbent Democrat Charlie Crist, who did not seek re-election in 2022 and instead ran for Governor.

The district, drawn to exclude parts of south Pinellas County and include northern parts of the county, now leans red with nearly 199,000 Republican voters to just 151,573 Democrats.

Cook Political Report lists the district as a competitive race, but with a distinct advantage for Republicans at R+6 and likely Republican.