Leela Gray adds Ted Lieu to her endorsement ranks in CD 13

Leela Gray is drawing firepower from Washington.

The retired Army Brigadier General and Democratic candidate in Florida’s 13th Congressional District on Thursday announced the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, the California Democrat who serves as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and spent more than two decades in the Air Force, retiring as a colonel in its Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

The nod from a member of House Democratic Leadership adds a national name to a campaign betting that a battle-tested military résumé can put a Republican-held Pinellas seat in play.

“Our country is at an inflection point,” Lieu said. “We need leaders who know how to cut through chaos and actually get things done. I know what real leadership looks like. Leela Gray has it. Rising to the rank of Brigadier General, her career was grounded in the principles of getting the job done and taking care of people. FL-13 has had enough chaos. It’s time for leadership. Leela Gray will deliver it and I’m proud to endorse her.”

Gray cast the backing as a marker of credibility from someone who has built a reputation on oversight.

“Ted Lieu is a veteran, a prosecutor, and one of the most effective members of Congress when it comes to holding people accountable,” Gray said. “When someone with his background looks at this race and says CD 13 deserves better, that carries real weight. I am honored to have his endorsement and even more motivated to deliver the results this community has been waiting for.”

Lieu joins a coalition of Florida officials, fellow veterans and national organizations already lined up behind Gray:

The endorsements come as Gray tries to make a race in a district the math no longer favors Democrats.

Under the new congressional map Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May, CD 13 keeps the bulk of Pinellas County — Clearwater, Largo — but the urban core of St. Petersburg was carved out and the lines pushed north toward New Port Richey, swapping in more Republican turf. The redrawn district backed President Donald Trump 56% to 43% in 2024, a stiffer climb than the seat Gray entered.

She has doubled down anyway. Gray raised more than $561,000 in under two months after launching, and a recent internal poll put her in a statistical tie with two-term Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, trailing 41% to 39% — inside the margin of error — while leading among swing voters.

Gray, a third-generation veteran and the first in her family to attend college, served more than 30 years in uniform, including two combat deployments and a peacekeeping mission. She retired in 2018 as Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Central and later advised U.S. Army Cyber Command on modernizing national cyber policy, then earned a law degree to help veterans access health care and benefits. She and her husband, Tony, have lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years.

The Primary Election is Aug. 18, with the General Election Nov. 3.

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Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.