- Florida's 13th congressional district is open after Democrat Charlie Crist resigned to run for governor.
- Republican Anna Paulina Luna has Trump's support in the race.
Republican Anna Paulina Luna defeated Democrat Eric Lynn for Florida's 13th Congressional District.
Republican Anna Paulina Luna turned a blue US House seat red as she ran for the open seat in Florida's 13th Congressional District against Democrat Eric Lynn.
The seat was vacant because Democrat Charlie Crist resigned his seat to run for governor against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Majority of polls have closed in the state at 7 p.m. local time. Given the state has multiple timezones, the first polls have closed at 7 p.m. EST and the last polls closed at 8 p.m. EST.
2022 General EmbedsFlorida's 13th Congressional District candidates
Luna is an Air Force veteran and former model who went on to become the director of conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, and is a podcast host with Gingrich 360.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Luna during the primary and she also has the support of MAGA firebrands Rep. Matt Gaetz and Charlie Kirk, Turning Point's founder.
Lynn is a former national security advisor in the Pentagon under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Libertarian Frank Craft also ran.
Voting history for Florida's 13th Congressional District
Luna unsuccessfully challenged Crist for the seat in the 2020 election, and with his resignation Republicans see an opportunity to turn the district — which includes St. Petersburg — red.
Joe Biden won the district during the 2020 presidential race, but DeSantis proposed a redistricting bill this year that the GOP-controlled Florida legislature passed, and now the map leans more Republican.
The money race
Luna has raised nearly $3 million, spent $2.6 million, and has about $480,000 cash on hand, as of October 19, according to the nonpartisan money-in-politics organization OpenSecrets.
Lynn has raised $2 million, spent more than $1.5 million, and has about $592,000 cash on hand, as of October 19.
As of November 4, super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups had together spent more than $15.3 million to advocate for and against candidates in this race, including during its primary phase. This ranks the race on the higher end of the spectrum for outside spending.
Progress Pinellas, a pro-Lynn super PAC funded by billionaire investor Justin Ishbia, accounts more more than half of the race's outside spending.
What experts say
The race between Luna and Lynn was rated as a "likely Republican" by Inside Elections and "likely Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.