Leela Gray is the Democratic nominee for Florida's 13th Congressional District, having won the August 18, 2026 primary with about 65% of the vote. She will face two-term Republican incumbent Rep. Anna Paulina Luna in the November 3 general election, and the DCCC has added Gray to its "Red to Blue" program.

A retired U.S. Army brigadier general, Gray grew up in a family of modest means and worked as a babysitter, lifeguard, and waitress to help pay her way through Elon University, where Army ROTC helped cover her tuition. She served 30 years in uniform, including a peacekeeping mission and two combat deployments, commanding soldiers in Alabama, Indiana, New York, and Wisconsin. She later earned a law degree to help veterans access health care and other benefits.

Beyond her military service, Gray worked at the U.S. State Department on initiatives countering extremist propaganda and served as a strategic advisor to U.S. Army Cyber Command. In the private sector, she has held roles at a technology startup, mentors founders at a Tampa Bay tech accelerator, and co-created a local television show, "Veteran Strong," highlighting the value veterans bring to local businesses. She has lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years with her husband, raising their daughter there, and has been endorsed by EMILYs List and VoteVets.