Pro-Israel Republican makes major campaign finance pledge after razor-thin election victory

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., a key ally of Israel in Congress, announced plans on Thursday to reject all corporate PAC money or funding from special interest groups tied to “foreign policy” after narrowly hanging on to her seat in the midterm elections.

“I still am on [the committee on] foreign affairs and I’ve taken a particular interest in peace deals as well as supporting the administration’s peace deal efforts. And I want my constituency to understand when I’m either talking on these things or advocating for them in Washington, that I am controlled by no one, influenced by no one,” Luna said in a video posted to X.

Luna’s announcement comes on the heels of devastating midterm results for Republicans that have sparked debate about the role of pro-Israel political spending and U.S. policy toward Israel in several Democratic campaigns.

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Luna herself only narrowly beat out Democratic challenger Leela Gray, a veteran, in a 49.5% to 48.7% victory in Florida’s 13th Congressional District — a seat that has leaned safely Republican in years past.

Many Democrats, including Luna’s opponent, used the Iran conflict as a proxy to attack Republicans on the cost of living after the conflict sharply restricted fuel exports from the Middle East.

“In February, we were told this war would last ‘four to six weeks.’ Eight months later, at least 22 service members are dead, 800+ more are injured and the cost of living crisis at home is out of control,” Gray said in a post to X a week before the election.

“Despite the obvious and disastrous consequences of the war, Luna voted to continue it six times,” Gray added, referring to Luna’s opposition to restricting Trump’s war powers.

But those criticisms also spread far beyond Florida’s 13th Congressional District.

Michigan Democratic senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed made the issue one of the cornerstones of his campaign, explicitly questioning Israel’s influence over the Republican Party and its role in the Iran conflict.

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“I don’t consider an ally a country that takes us to wars we don’t need to fight, and I don’t want to be fighting wars we don’t need to fight,” El-Sayed said in a debate ahead of the election.

El-Sayed’s position on Israel coincided with many other progressive candidates who also opposed U.S. support for Israel — a key policy difference that created Democrat-on-Democrat tension in several key races.

In New York, for instance, several political newcomers like Brad Lander, Darializa Avila-Chevalier and Claire Valdez all defeated Israel-aligned Democratic opponents in their primaries.

In Colorado, progressive challenger Melat Kiros unseated an incumbent who had served 30 years in office while advocating for a full arms embargo against Israel.

And in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won her Democratic primary against Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., while sharply critiquing her opponent’s political contributions from AIPAC.

For her own part, Luna has consistently supported Israel as a key ally of the United States, citing aligned interests in the Middle East.

She introduced the Stand with Israel Act, a bill that would bar U.S. funding for the U.N. Human Rights Council until it condemned Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that left over a thousand victims dead. She also voted repeatedly to send U.S. financial assistance to Israel between 2023 and 2025 and condemned the International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes.

Campaign-finance records show Luna received roughly $38,000 in direct contributions from AIPAC’s PAC — less than 1% of the more than $4.3 million her campaign raised through mid-October.

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Luna did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether she would encourage other Republicans to also forgo funding from foreign groups.

She noted that her small-dollar contributions would uniquely enable her to shun PACs tied to corporate or foreign interest groups.

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“I ruffle a lot of feathers in Washington. These races can get expensive. Fortunately, this cycle, I was able to raise close to $4 million, if not more, largely from small-dollar donations. So I am able, because of you guys’ support, to not take that money anymore,” Luna said.