ICYMI: Leela Gray Joins WFLA's Battleground Florida, Outlines Affordability & Anti-Corruption Agenda

Gray calls for ending the Iran war, relief from tariffs, and a ban on congressional stock and insider trading as Rep. Luna again refuses to face voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 2, 2026

CONTACT: Sera Guerry | sera@leelagray.com

St. Petersburg, FL — In case you missed it, Retired Brigadier General Leela Gray, candidate for Florida's 13th Congressional District, joined WFLA News Channel 8's Battleground Florida to discuss her plan to lower costs for Pinellas families, end the war with Iran, and root out corruption in Washington. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna declined WFLA's invitation to appear.

“I do want to point out that your Republican opponent, the incumbent, declined our offer to appear,” host Ty Russell said of Rep. Luna’s refusal to join the show…“your response?"

“I would imagine the voters are disappointed,” General Gray responded.. “She has refused to hold town halls. She’s refused my debate challenge. And she’s refusing to show up to do an interview with you, to answer the questions that voters are very interested in.”

Gray also discussed her platform to drive down costs; including reclaiming Congress's war powers, repealing tariff taxes, protecting health care coverage, shoring up Social Security, and tackling the housing crisis. She warned that Floridians face another health care cliff on January 1st and noted that Luna has repeatedly voted for the Big Ugly Bill, the tariff taxes, and the Iran war.

“Here locally, this Iran war has cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Gray noted. “In fact, every family is probably paying at least about $1,700 because of the war…So I think Congress needs to take immediate control, stop this war with Iran, reclaim the War Powers Act and not let this go on any longer.”

She also discussed her plan to tackle corruption in D.C., while Luna is a typical politician more focused on serving herself and her wealthy friends.  

"I lived under a very high ethical code in the military, and quite frankly, my anti-corruption agenda is based on that,” Gray said. “As senior military leaders, we were held to a higher ethical standard than those that can send us to war. We need to have the same ethical standards."

On the impacts of the war in Iran, Gray highlighted how the ongoing conflict has left the United States less safe, cost servicemember lives, and driven up prices — all in service of a reckless war of choice with no clear strategic objective or end in sight.

"We went into Iran. We decided that we’re going to start a reckless war of choice with Iran, and we are less safe because of it.” Gray said. “We need to engage in real diplomacy, stop this back-and-forth and really start leveraging our partnerships and our allies in the region." 

Asked about the momentum building in FL-13, Gray said voters across the political spectrum are looking for a change after Luna has failed to deliver for Floridians. 

"I will have Republicans come up to me and say, 'I'm a lifelong Republican, but I'm not for what's going on right now…My representative does not represent me.'...” Gray added. "They understand my decades of service over self, that I’m going to put people first. That's what I'm hearing over and over again, and so that's why…you're seeing that in the polls."

Watch the full interview here.

Read WFLA's coverage here.

To learn more about Leela, visit leelagray.com.

About Leela Gray

Leela Gray is a third-generation veteran, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, attorney, small business leader, and mother running for Congress in Florida's 13th Congressional District. The first in her family to attend college, Leela worked her way through school and served more than 30 years in uniform, including two combat deployments and a peacekeeping mission. She retired in 2018 as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Central and subsequently advised U.S. Army Cyber Command on modernizing national cyber policy. After retiring from the military, Leela served on non-profit and private sector advisory boards, and earned her law degree to help veterans access healthcare and other critical benefits. Leela and her husband, Tony, have lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years and are proud parents of their adult daughter. Learn more at leelagray.com.

###