The race for Florida's Congressional District 13 has been nothing short of fierce. Based on the results, Anna Paulina Luna (R) wins against Eric Lynn (D). Final tally according to the New York Times shows Luna with 53.4% of the vote ahead of Lynn's 44.8%. The race has been between a staunch liberal and a staunch conservative, with Luna backed by former President Donald Trump and Lynn receiving the endorsement of former President Barack Obama, although Lynn describes himself as "moderate."
The Republican primary for Luna was an equally hard fight, with Amanda Makki attacking Luna the hardest. In an interview with The Floridian, Makki called out Luna's previous support of President Obama and not voting for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2018. An equally scathing attack came from major Trump ally Roger Stone on Halloween in 2021, complete with a wig, fatigues, fake medals, and a toy gun.
Lynn, meanwhile, has been found not to have paid property taxes on real estate he owns in Washington, D.C.. This is certainly ironic, for Lynn supports President Biden's Build Back Better program, which piles on a $1 trillion tax hike. On top of this, Lynn called the Biden Administration's student loan forgiveness plan "the right thing to do," citing his own student debt from law school. While Lynn was able to win over some Republicans and independents in Pinellas County, this was not enough to save his campaign.
District 13 was given up by Charlie Crist (D) for his gubernatorial campaign, which was just called for DeSantis. As such, this marks a fourth pickup seat in Florida for the GOP. The other three are District 4, which goes to Aaron Bean, District 7, whose constituents will be served by Cory Mills, and District 15, going to Laurel Lee. Add in the reelection of Sen. Marco Rubio (R) over Rep. Val Demings (D-FL-10), and it looks like Florida is officially a red state.
