BUCK: We are joined by our friend, Anna Paulina Luna. She is running for Congress up in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and she is with us now. Anna, great to have you back.

LUNA: Thank you so much for having me back on, Buck.

BUCK: So, one thing that I think is really interesting is how much money the Democrats are… you’re in a congressional race and yeah, sure, some congressional races, yours is getting a lot of attention. Some get more attention than others, but they generally don’t get the kind of money that is being engaged in the millions. And yet the Democrats are throwing the kitchen sink at you, it seems. What’s going on?

LUNA: Well, as of right now, we are collectively up against $7 million in spending, which is pretty unheard of for most House races in Florida. So, as you know, this was a newly redistricted seat. We were one of the top five targeted to take back the House and just one, an Illinois billionaire actually, just dumped in about $7 million into a super PAC called Progress for Pinellas and apparently is trying to turn Pinellas County into Chicago.

CLAY: What? Anna, thanks for coming on. And I know that we’ve met before and we talked about this race, but what’s the most ridiculous thing that you have seen said about yourself with all of this money rolling in? I think you’ve got a decent sense of humor. I mean, some of it has to be crazy, right? To be 20 days out and to have them so desperate in a state where Ron DeSantis is going to kick ass in the governor’s race and certainly Marco Rubio, who we’re about to have on, is going to beat Val Demings. They are desperate to try to find a win somewhere, anywhere. What’s the craziest attack you’ve seen against yourself?

LUNA: So, initially it started out with my Democrat opponent calling me Supreme Extreme, and then I looked it up and it’s actually — you’re going to laugh — a type of guacamole. And so I know I’m Hispanic, right? I’m Mexican. But, you know, it’s interesting that the Democrat Party always likes to really kind of label Hispanic Republicans as some form of food item or as Nancy Pelosi said, you know, crop pickers. But, you know….

CLAY: Breakfast, breakfast taco. Right. As Jill Biden memorably described.

LUNA: Yeah, breakfast tacos. But, you know, doesn’t just stop there. We found out recently and I’m actually going to probably be trolling my opponent here in a few minutes. But my Democrat opponent actually started sending out my swimsuit photos to his donors and I guess in an effort to have them donate to him. But I’m actually going to be trolling him about this because he was recently photo’d dancing with drag queens. And so, I said, well, I know that your party can’t define women, but I can. And you choose the difference.

Story time: want to hear something funny? My Democrat opponent Eric Lynn is sending out my swimsuit photos to raise money AGAINST ME. These are the “women” he hangs out with. I hope no children were there. 🧐 pic.twitter.com/ndB9zKET1m

— Anna Paulina Luna (@VoteAPL) October 19, 2022

BUCK: We’re talking to Anna Paulina Luna, everybody. She’s running for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in the Tampa Bay area. And, Anna, I wanted to let you just tell everybody a little bit about your background. I mean, you’re an Air Force veteran, but even earlier on than that, there’s some really interesting parts of your experience here in this country that you bring to the table that I think the voters of Tampa Bay should know about.

LUNA: Absolutely. So, I grew up within the welfare system. I was raised by a very young single mother. And, you know, one of the biggest attacks that they’re running against me is that I’m pro-life. But a lot of people might not realize that my own mother was essentially asked to have an abortion by my father, and she chose life. And then later on, when I met my husband, Andy, who you well know, it turned out that he was actually a byproduct of an unconsensual event and he was actually adopted out with his twin brother.

So, a lot of what I talk about in regards to life, in regards to, you know, the ability to be born into nothing and really attain everything through hard work and the American dream, that’s from personal experience. You know, I left a situation, an environment where I was exposed to gang culture, the inner cities of Los Angeles. I joined the military at 19, and it was the best decision I ever could have made. I met my husband, Andy, 12 years ago. We got married pretty quickly, so we married after about a month of dating. But, you know, I’m very happy to say that we’re still together. We’re pushing strong.

Veterans. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/Sh41LeKlg0

— Anna Paulina Luna (@VoteAPL) October 18, 2022

And in 2014, when he was shot in Afghanistan, I actually ended up really seeing firsthand what happens with, you know, the long-term impacts of war on these families and what our friends were going through. And so, I got involved with several non-profits focusing on PTSD and I later came across an organization called Veterans for Child Rescue. And ultimately, that’s how I got political. I was working as a volunteer in counter trafficking, and I realized propaganda was being used against the American people in regards to what was happening with the immigration debate. And I was later recruited by Turning Point USA. I was there for about a year, went to Prager U as their National Hispanic Outreach Director, and realized I needed to run for office. So, I’m here weathering the storm now.

CLAY: Anna, what would happen if you hadn’t joined the military.

LUNA: Based on just kind of the environment that I was exposed to? I mean, to be quite honest with you, most people that, you know are from where I’m at, born in wedlock and obviously exposed to poverty. I probably would have ended up, you know, either on drugs, probably single with a kid. And, you know, I understand people are not always dealt the best hand, but the military really provided me the structure that I needed, not just help my family, but I was later able to help my dad. And I got him sober and moved him out to Florida. And we had some good times together before he passed away in January.

BUCK: And, Anna, we know you are you’re Mexican-American by background, but the left likes to come after you for whitewashing. What’s that all about?

LUNA: Yes. So, I realized that because of the color of my skin, I’m not the right type of minority, right? The left likes to stereotype and to use race and skin color to divide people so that we don’t talk to one another. I’ve been told countless times by leftist reporters that, you know, how am I Hispanic if I look white? And then, you know, my response is pretty straightforward. Am I supposed to look like Speedy Gonzales and run around with a sombrero to, you know, prove how Hispanic I am?

I mean, they like to forget that Barack Obama was half white and yet they called him the first black president. So, I mean, they like to push that narrative, but, as you know, as many people listening to the show — to include, you know, some of my friends, Mario, I know you’re listening to the show all the way out in Illinois — but, you know, Hispanics are not just one color and we’re not just one culture. Obviously, we’re first and foremost Americans, but we’re Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Colombians.

And it doesn’t just stop there. I mean, recently I saw a headline, an article that tried to tie me to Pablo Escobar, and I just started laughing because I said, I don’t think they realize Mexicans and Colombians are different. And by the way, wrong cartel.

CLAY: Anna, what are you hearing the most from your district as you travel around? And we want you also to tell people how they can support you, where you are running in Florida. You can give us all that info because I’m sure that a lot of people have really enjoyed hearing from you. But what are you hearing on the ground from your constituents that matters the most to them as we sit here 20 days from the election?

LUNA: The economy, you know, people are actually being priced out of Pinellas County. It is now one of the most expensive counties to live in in all of Florida. And, you know, we have an incredible governor, but the governor doesn’t control the economy. That’s made, those decisions are made out of the White House and out of Washington, D.C. And a lot of people right now cannot afford this inflation that we’re seeing. A lot of people are afraid of what’s happening when you have Joe Biden talking to his donors about the potential of Armageddon and nuclear war.

I mean, that’s not we might think Joe Biden sounds crazy, but like that’s actually very scary from a national security perspective. And so, a lot of people right now, as much as the left, as much as Democrats are really just, I think, like emotionally abusing my constituents with these awful attack ads about me saying that I’m crazy and all this other garbage, you know, those people are really struggling. And so, I am for a balanced budget amendment. I am for really reeling in some of this reckless spending. But more importantly, I’m someone that’s controlled by we the people, not special interests and definitely not some billionaire, you know, playboy out in Illinois or yeah, Michigan.

BUCK: Anna Paulina Luna, where do people go to donate? Because you’re going to need the war chest here to fight back against libs in New York and California and everywhere else that are donating to your opponent.

I’ve received way more Pinellas donations than Lynn.
Now they’re trying to buy this seat.
The Obama/Perkins Coie/Soros connected donor aka Lynn’s cousin is spending more against me than ANY other single house race this cycle. Local press = blacking out my race. I’m a threat. pic.twitter.com/zXeQ66njYJ

— Anna Paulina Luna (@VoteAPL) October 19, 2022

LUNA: Yeah, if you want to help fight the Hillary Clinton-Soros money that they’re pouring into this race, and that’s exactly where it’s coming from, please head to VoteAPL.com. Even if you can just do $20, it all matters. We are really, really white-knuckling this race, okay? We’re holding on and we are doing everything we can and we’re looking good. But they are throwing literally everything and the kitchen sink. So, I need your help and I hope to have your vote on November 8.

BUCK: Let’s all be honest with this for a second, folks. They don’t want a really outstanding female. The Democrats are terrified about an outstanding female Mexican-American veteran in Congress with an R next to her name. They hate this. So, they’re trying to stop this. Democrats are trying to stop this. We obviously want it to go forward. It should go forward. Be best for the people of Pinellas County. Anna Paulina Luna, everybody. Anna, thanks so much for being with us.

LUNA: Thank you. God bless.