Club For Growth poll shows Anna Paulina Luna with 5-point lead over Whitney Fox

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. Image via Facebook.

A new poll shows U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna leading Democratic challenger Whitney Fox, but still shy of majority support.

The poll, conducted by WPA Intelligence for the Club For Growth PAC, found 48% of voters ready to re-elect the St. Petersburg Republican. Meanwhile, 43% plan to support Fox.

The poll found 10% of voters in the district remain on the fence.

Pollsters surveyed 400 likely voters in Florida’s 13th Congressional District Aug. 28 and 29. The polling memo, obtained by Florida Politics, did not include survey language, meaning it’s not clear whether voters were given information about candidates or provided a simple question about their voting plans. Club For Growth is a national conservative group that advocates for free market principles.

With Luna under 50%, the incumbent still needs to win over a portion of voters to ensure re-election, but has a shorter way to go to a majority than her Democratic opponent, according to the poll.

Pollsters report a 4.9% margin of error.

A poll conducted last week for Florida Politics by St. Pete Polls had different findings, with Fox posting 48% support compared to just 44% for Luna.

Club For Growth endorsed Luna when she first won her congressional seat in 2022 over Democrat Eric Lynn, and continues to maintain a fundraising portal for the Republican incumbent as she seeks a second term.

The conservative group’s support could be important as Republicans seek to maintain their House majority — Luna represents one of Florida’s few battleground districts.

She notably won her seat with a larger margin than reflected in the latest poll, carrying more than 53% to Lynn’s less than 45% two years ago. The same election, more than 58% of voters in the district supported Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election and more than 56% backed GOP U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio for a third term.

Luna’s victory flipped CD 13 from Democrat to Republican control, following a significant reddening of the Pinellas County seat under a new congressional map pushed through by DeSantis.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has listed Luna among its targets this election cycle as the party hopes to regain control of the U.S. House.

Republicans hold a voter registration edge in the district, with more than 205,000 voters to less than 151,000 Democrats, as of book closing following the August Primary Election. The district is also home to nearly 136,000 voters with no party affiliation.