Ex-GOP House candidate gets 3 years for threatening political opponent

A man named William Robert Braddock, aged 41, from St. Petersburg, Florida, was given a three-year prison sentence on Wednesday for threatening to have his political rival killed. The Justice Department stated that Braddock, a former Republican candidate for the 13th Congressional District in Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William Jung after pleading guilty in February to charges of making threats. While the court documents did not specifically name the target of his threats, it was widely believed to be Anna Paulina Luna, the leading candidate in the 2022 election. Braddock was accused of trying to sabotage Luna’s campaign and even threatening to hire a hit squad to eliminate her. He fled to Thailand and later the Philippines but was eventually deported back to the U.S. to face trial. Luna, on the other hand, is currently serving her second term as the U.S. House Representative for Florida’s 13th Congressional District.