Florida: Pro-Trump Republican Anna Paulina Luna Defeats Democrat Eric Lynn

This Oct. 29, 2020 photo shows Anna Paulina Luna, Republican candidate for U.S. House of R
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Allum Bokhari

Republican Anna Paulina Luna has defeated Democrat Eric Lynn in the race to represent Florida’s 13th district in the House of Representatives.

Previously a Democratic stronghold represented by Charlie Crist, who vacated to run against Florida governor Ron DeSantis, the seat became competitive following redistricting.

Air force veteran Paulina Luna won the Republican primary with 44 percent of the vote, and went on to face a tight race against former the Democratic candidate, former Obama aide Eric Lynn.

A poll from local researcher St. Pete Polls two weeks out from the election showed the candidates separated by just one percentage point, well within the margin of error.

Paulina Luna, formerly director of Hispanic engagement for TPUSA, is seen as a MAGA firebrand. During the campaign, she received endorsements from Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, as well as former president Donald Trump himself.

Against the backdrop of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion took center stage during the campaign. Lynn ran ads highlighting a quote from Paulina Luna in which she described herself as a “pro-life extremist.” Paulina Luna received the endorsement of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a leading pro-life nonprofit.

“Anna embodies the pro-life, pro-woman leadership SBA Pro-Life America was founded to promote and that Floridians deserve to have in Congress. You can count on her to champion life-affirming policies that protect moms and babies from the horror of abortion,” the organization said in a statement released this summer.

While attempting to paint Paulina Luna as an extremist on the abortion issue, Lynn positioned himself as a centrist, seeking endorsements from local Republicans. Per Florida Politics, he successfully received support from Republicans Bob Schmidt, mayor of Belleair Shores in Pinellas County, and Jim Olliver, the Vice Mayor of Seminole, among others.

According to Business Insider, Lynn received the backing of a billionaire-funded Super PAC, Progress Pinellas, which represented over half of all outside spending in the race.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.

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