Progressive leaders from 3 states back Whitney Fox in CD 13

Whitney Fox is flexing her fundraising muscles. Image via Whitney Fox for Congress.

Three progressive leaders serving in the U.S. House from different states are endorsing Whitney Fox in her race for Florida’s 13th Congressional District as she seeks the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Republican Anna Paulina Luna.

The backers include U.S. Reps. Nikki Budzinski of Illinois, Brittany Pettersen of Colorado and Deborah Ross of North Carolina. All three have focused their efforts in Washington on reproductive rights, health care and affordability for all.

“I’m proud to endorse Whitney Fox for Congress,” said Ross, a civil rights and clean energy advocate and lawyer who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Ethics Committee, Committee on Space, Science and Technology, as well as on the Democrats’ leadership team as the chief deputy whip on the Steering and Policy Committee.

“She has a proven track record of working across the aisle to get things done for her community. In Congress, she will be a critical partner when we take back the House and continue our work to lower costs, make healthcare more affordable, and protect Social Security and Medicare from attacks by extreme Republicans.”

Budzinski has spent most of her career working for trade unions. In 2021, she served in the Joe Biden administration as Chief of Staff to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget before being elected in 2022 to serve Illinois’ 13th Congressional District.

“Whitney Fox embodies the resilience and determination that working families need in Congress today. Her dedication to making life more affordable and just for every American resonates deeply with the values I’ve fought for throughout my career. Whitney is the leader Florida’s 13th District deserves,” Budzinski said.

Pettersen, meanwhile, has held political office since 2013, serving first in the Colorado House before moving on to the state’s upper chamber.

She was elected to Congress in 2022 and took office representing Colorado’s 7th Congressional District in early 2023. In 2019, she survived a recall effort based on partisan squabbles about supporting comprehensive sex ed, a national popular vote and red flag legislation, which allows a Judge to bar someone from possessing a gun under certain scenarios where reasonable fear exists that the person may harm themselves or others.

“Whitney understands the challenges of families today, which is why she supports parental leave, increasing access to affordable housing and high-quality childcare. As a fellow mom, I am thrilled to endorse Whitney Fox,” Pettersen said.

Fox is one of five Democrats vying for the party’s nomination to take on Luna. A sixth is running as a write-in.

“I’m deeply grateful for the endorsements from Congresswomen Deborah Ross, Nikki Budzinski, and Brittany Pettersen,” Fox said.

“Together, we understand the importance of addressing the pressing challenges faced by families today, from reproductive rights and healthcare to the necessity of good-paying-jobs, affordable childcare, and housing. The rights of every woman are on the ballot this November. It’s time we put people over politics and stop these extremist attacks on women’s rights and healthcare.”

In all, Fox has more than 50 endorsements to tout now, including U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor and Lois Frankel; state Rep. Lindsay Cross; former St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman; former state Sen. Janet Cruz; former state Reps. Margaret Good, Adam Hattersley and Carlos Guillermo Smith; former congressional candidate Alan Cohn; Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers; Pinellas County School Board member Caprice Edmond; St. Pete City Council members Gina Driscoll, Deborah Figgs-Sanders and Lisset Hanewicz; Oldsmar Vice Mayor Andrew Knapp; Oldsmar City Council member Steve Graber; Gulfport City Council members Paul Ray and April Thanos; former St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson; former Seminole City Council member Jim Olliver; Largo City Commissioner Michael Smith; Dunedin City Commissioner Jeff Gow; Largo City Commissioner Jamie Robinson; and the National Women’s Political Caucus, among others.

Former state Rep. Ben Diamond has also endorsed Fox, which at the time put to bed rumors that he was considering a bid himself.

Whoever emerges from the Democratic Primary victorious will have a big challenge ahead. Luna won CD 13 for Republicans in 2022 following redistricting, which shifted the district from a slight Democratic advantage to a GOP-leaning seat. Cook Political Report lists the district as likely Republican at R+6.