FL GOP U.S. House Candidate Headed To Prison For Threatening To Kill His Opponent

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A former Republican U.S. House of Representatives candidate was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison for threatening his opponent, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

William Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg pled guilty to the charge of interstate transmission of a threat to injure on Feb. 23.

He threatened to kill his primary opponent in the 2021 election for the 13th Congressional District of Florida. While the DOJ news release didn’t name his opponent, he faced now-Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) in the primary election.

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Braddock viewed his victim, the Republican party frontrunner, “as his only obstacle to winning the race,” the DOJ said.

He spent months disparaging her and trying to inject himself into her life.

During a June 2021 phone call, Braddock made several threats to injure and kill his opponent if she continued to poll well in the race, as well as her acquaintance, during a call with the second victim.

He threatened to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make his opponent disappear, the DOJ said.

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He also said, “I will be the next congressman for this district. Period. End of discussion. And anybody going up against me is (expletive) ignorant for doing so. (The victim is) ignorant so I don’t have a problem taking her out, but I’m not going to do that dirty work myself obviously.”

After making the threats, Braddock left the U.S., flying first to Thailand on a one-way ticket. He ultimately settled in the Philippines, where he was later found to be living. He was extradited to the U.S. in September 2024.