Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican and vocal supporter of Israel, says she will stop accepting money from corporate PACs and special-interest groups connected to foreign policy. The announcement came Thursday, after she narrowly won reelection.
Luna said she remains on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has focused on peace agreements and supporting the administration’s efforts. She wants voters to know, she said, that no one is directing or influencing her when she speaks or advocates on those issues in Washington.
Her decision follows difficult midterm results for Republicans, which have renewed debate over pro-Israel political spending and U.S. policy toward Israel. Luna defeated Democratic challenger Leela Gray, a veteran, by 49.5% to 48.7% in Florida’s 13th District, a seat that has generally favored Republicans.
Gray made the Iran conflict part of her campaign argument, linking it to rising living costs after the fighting disrupted fuel exports from the Middle East. A week before Election Day, she said the war had lasted far longer than the four to six weeks initially forecast, with at least 22 service members killed and more than 800 injured. Gray also criticized Luna for voting six times against measures to limit President Trump’s war powers.
The debate over Israel and U.S. policy surfaced in races well beyond Florida. Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed made Israel’s influence in Republican politics and its role in the Iran conflict central themes of his campaign. He argued during a debate that an ally should not lead the United States into wars it does not need to fight.
Several progressive candidates who opposed U.S. support for Israel also prevailed in Democratic contests, sometimes against candidates aligned with Israel. In New York, political newcomers Brad Lander, Darializa Avila-Chevalier and Claire Valdez defeated opponents who supported Israel. In Colorado, Melat Kiros unseated a longtime incumbent while calling for a full arms embargo on Israel. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan also won her primary against Rep. Angie Craig, criticizing Craig’s contributions from AIPAC.
Luna, by contrast, has repeatedly described Israel as an important U.S. ally with shared interests in the Middle East. She introduced the Stand with Israel Act, which would withhold U.S. funding from the U.N. Human Rights Council until it condemned Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which more than 1,000 people were killed. She also voted several times between 2023 and 2025 to provide financial aid to Israel and criticized the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces allegations of war crimes.
Campaign-finance records indicate that Luna received about $38,000 in direct contributions from AIPAC’s PAC. That was less than 1% of the more than $4.3 million her campaign had raised by mid-October.
Luna did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether she would urge other Republicans to reject money from foreign groups. She said small-dollar donations had made it possible for her to turn away PAC funding. Her campaign raised close to $4 million or more during the cycle, much of it from small donors, she said, adding that the support would allow her to stop taking that money.
