PRESS RELEASE
Leela Gray Responds to Anna Paulina Luna’s Desperate Attempt to Hide Her Own Record of Corruption
Luna threatens legal action instead of answering for her record – as polling shows her losing ground in FL-13
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2026
CONTACT: Billy Perlmutter | billy@leelagray.com
St. Petersburg, FL — Following reports that Anna Paulina Luna issued a cease-and-desist letter targeting Retired Brigadier General Leela Gray’s ad “Mission” – which contrasts Gray’s 30 years of Army service with Luna’s record of corruption in Washington – Gray issued the following statement:
“This is just the latest example of Anna Paulina Luna lying to the voters of FL-13 and trying to hide from her record of corruption in Washington. She’s dodged our debate challenge, she’s dodged voters, and now she’s dodging accountability the only way she knows how – by threatening those who call her out. Leaders stay focused on the mission. I faced real threats in 30 years of service and Anna Paulina Luna isn’t one of them.”
Here are the facts:
Luna faced scrutiny over a potential conflict of interest in her own financial dealings, including investments in a donor’s oil and gas private equity firm totaling up to $500,000 while sitting on the congressional committees responsible for overseeing similar interests at the time of the investment, as reported by NBC News and Miami Herald.
Luna was accused of allegedly sharing insider information with a donor who used it to profit on prediction markets – reporting published by the Wall Street Journal, The Tampa Bay Times, and several other prominent outlets.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the “CFTC [was] investigating the allegation.”
Meanwhile, Luna promoted stock trading legislation that fails to extend to the President, Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, and Supreme Court Justices. Gray’s anti-corruption platform goes further, no exceptions, no carve-outs.
This isn’t new: Luna has a pattern of suing her political opponents and critics who call her out, and losing.
The ad is staying up. Meanwhile, Luna is refusing to accept Gray’s general election debate challenge.
Recent polling shows Gray leading in this race – with a House Majority PAC poll showing Gray leading Luna 51% to 46% in a district Trump won in 2024 by 13 points. Gray is also winning unaffiliated voters by 17 points and winning over one in four Republicans. And, with Donald Trump’s job approval underwater in FL-13 by 14 points, a full 9% of 2024 Trump voters backed Gray.