Florida Republican Candidate Says GOP Opponents Conspired To Kill Her
A Florida Republican candidate for the state's 13th congressional district recently sought a stalking injunction against one of her primary opponents and claims he conspired with two other potential candidates to kill her. The three accused candidates have dismissed the allegations.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Monday that Anna Paulina Luna, who unsuccessfully ran for the same seat in 2020, obtained the temporary injunction against William Braddock, a Republican who plans to run against Luna for the congressional seat that will be vacated in 2022 by Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat.
“I do not feel safe and am currently in fear for my life,” Luna said in her petition, according to the Times.
“I received information yesterday (at midnight) regarding a plan (with a timeline) to murder me made by William Braddock in an effort to prevent me from winning the election for FL-13,” the Times cited from the petition.
Braddock was served the petition for an injunction on Friday. A hearing on extending the injunction is set for June 22.
A spokesperson for Luna has not commented on the allegations.
Luna claims in the petition that Braddock is conspiring with Republican candidates Amanda Makki and Matt Tito, who both told the Times they were never served with temporary injunctions despite being cited in the one served to Braddock.
Luna claims that Braddock had sent her text messages that were threatening her life.
“I feel and fear that this is an orchestrated attempt on my life being organized and carried out by William Braddock and he claims he is working together with Ms. Makki and Mr. Tito,” the Times cited from the petition.
Luna has called for a restraining order that will ban Braddock from Conservative Grounds, a coffee shop that is known for its political gatherings, and any place where Luna is speaking.
In her petition, she claims that Braddock tried to come in contact with her twice -- once in a meeting with Tito and another time with Andy Gamberzky, who is cited on her official website as her husband.
The three candidates lambasted Luna.
“This woman is off her rocker and she does not need to be representing anyone," Braddock told the Times.
Braddock said he does not have Luna’s phone number and his only in-person interaction with her was when he introduced himself as one of the candidates in the race.
Makki, who ran unsuccessfully against Luna in 2020, posted on Twitter that “if Luna can’t handle running against another candidate, she doesn’t have the temperament to be in politics.” Makki called the petition for an injunction “nonsense.”
Tito told the Times that he was shocked by the petition for injunction and has contacted a lawyer about a defamation claim against Luna. He said that Luna's "goal was to embarrass us, it was to get us to keep us out of the race, to intimidate us."
"She’s been rewarded for bad behavior over and over and over again, so she continues to act this way," Tito said.
The allegations got a strong reaction on Twitter.
Luna gained attention in 2020 when she received an endorsement from Donald Trump in her bid for the 13th congressional district seat. She lost to Crist, 53%-47%.
There are limited details about Luna's professional background. She has never served in public office and has not completed Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey. Luna reportedly worked for the right-leaning Turning Point USA as a director of Hispanic engagement.
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