Whitney Fox challenges Anna Paulina Luna to a debate as Dems look for a flip in CD 13

Did Whitney Fox make a huge misstep amid Helene prep? Image via Whitney Fox for Congress.

Whitney Fox is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to a debate as the race for Florida’s 13th Congressional District heats up.

Fox, a Democrat looking to flip the Republican incumbent’s seat blue this November, is challenging Luna to “step out of her echo chamber” to face voters. She suggested the non-partisan Suncoast Tiger Bay Club as a forum. Tiger Bay is a non-partisan club, but its Suncoast chapter in Pinellas County, where CD 13 is located, has in recent years skewed left, with Republicans often skipping forums. 

Fox also proposed the possibility of a broadcast debate, noting that “several media outlets” have considered hosting a discussion between the two candidates. 

“Pinellas County deserves a representative who shows up, listens, and delivers results. That’s why I’m challenging Anna Paulina Luna to come out of hiding and face the voters in a series of televised debates,” Fox said. “The most common complaint I hear from voters is that Luna is nowhere to be found. She’s unresponsive and hasn’t held a single town hall since taking office. Is she too scared to face the public without a script?”

After emerging from a crowded Primary field last month, Fox is making what she describes as Luna’s extremism a cornerstone of her campaign, hitching her path to victory on a moderate touch that seeks to win support from those disenchanted with former President Donald Trump’s brand of Washington politics. 

“This election isn’t about shallow political theatrics; it’s about kitchen table issues that affect real families. While Luna has been more interested in stoking partisan dysfunction on cable news, I’ve been meeting with voters, listening to their concerns, and offering concrete solutions,” Fox said.

She claims “Luna has accomplished nothing.” Since taking office in January 2023, Luna has not sponsored any legislation that passed in both chambers. The two bills she introduced that saw House floor votes were both aimed at censuring Democratic officials.

“She had her chance, and she chose extremism and division. Luna is a rubber stamp for Project 2025 and supports policies that would harm working families — like cutting Social Security, raising drug prices, and backing a total abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest. That’s not representation; that’s betrayal,” Fox said. 

Fox’s challenge didn’t hold back. The Democratic nominee hypothesized that Luna will “keep chasing headlines and narcissistic likes driven by division on social media while our community suffers.” 

While Fox is running in a district seen as the only winnable opportunity for Democrats to flip a congressional seat in Florida. Cook Political Report lists it as one of only three congressional races in the state that are competitive, with the other two already held by Democrats. It will be an uphill battle. 

Cook lists CD 13 as “likely Republican” at an R+6, meaning Republicans carry a 6-percentage-point advantage. And Fox will have a funding disadvantage. 

As of the end of the second quarter of 2024, Fox had raised nearly $750,000. She brought in $320,632 in total contributions during the second quarter of 2024, which covers campaign finance activity from April through June.

But she ended the quarter with less than $356,000 on hand. That’s far from the cash Luna will have to defend her seat. The Republican opponent has raised more than $1.5 million and retained more than $865,000 at the end of the second quarter. 

Still, Democrats are hungry to take back the seat, which before Luna’s win in 2022 was held by Democrat Charlie Crist. Crist resigned his seat to run for Governor, a race he went on to lose. Luna’s victory also came after redistricting significantly shifted demographics in the district from slightly favoring Democrats to the current R+6 makeup. 

While national support has largely dried up for Democrats in Florida, Fox has succeeded in bringing some of that support back. She has nods from EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, and from Planned Parenthood. She also has support from the Blue Dog Coalition, which supports moderate Democrats in Congress. And though they have not yet issued a formal endorsement, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has weighed in on “the case against Anna Paulina Luna” with a mention of Fox, citing her support for abortion rights and ability to stop Luna from “sowing chaos and dysfunction in Congress.”

At least one poll shows Fox positioned well in the race. A St. Pete Polls survey commissioned by Florida Politics found Fox with a nearly 4-point advantage over the incumbent. But another survey from the conservative Club for Growth found the opposite, with Luna leading by 5 points.

“This is the most crucial election of our generation. Our community deserves a representative who isn’t afraid to look them in the eye and defend their record,” Fox said. “I’m ready. Is Luna?”