Anna Paulina Luna built her profile as a conservative commentator and activist prior to entering Congress, notably working with Turning Point USA and PragerU, where she held leadership roles focused on Hispanic outreach and initiative development (Tampa Bay Times, TIME).
She gained additional media exposure through appearances and commentary for outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and El American, where she sometimes promoted right-wing talking points and election misinformation (Media Matters, Tampa Bay Times).
Luna cultivated a strong social media presence and engaged in grassroots activism, organizing rallies and working with groups such as Bienvenido to mobilize Hispanic voters (RationalWiki, TheDPLG).
Her background also includes work as a model, featuring in publications like Maxim and Sports Illustrated, and involvement in viral media such as a MAGA swimsuit video, which resurfaced and drew both support and criticism (Tribune, Tampa Bay Times).
Potential controversies include reports and ongoing debate over her past employment at a gentlemen's club while in the Air Force, with conflicting accounts as to whether she worked as a dancer or a cocktail waitress (Central Florida Post, Orlando Local News).
2019: Luna Announced Collaboration With PragerU For A Docuseries According to Daily Wire, "To go directly to the youth, I have recently teamed up with PragerU to launch a docuseries that will be coming out in the spring of next year and will be available on all digital media platforms for free." [Daily Wire, 9/19/19]
Luna Authored 'Bringing Them Home: The Untold Cost of Putting Mission First' According to The Sun, "She is also the author of Bringing Them Home: The Untold Cost of Putting Mission First." [The Sun, 2/11/23]
2021: Luna Joined El American As Chief Correspondent According to Media Matters, "In 2021, Luna joined El American as chief correspondent, featuring prominently on the bilingual conservative network's YouTube channel." [Media Matters, 12/9/22]
Luna Promoted Election Misinformation And Right-Wing Talking Points According to Media Matters, "As chief correspondent for El American, Luna proudly interviewed election deniers, misinformative right-wing media figures, and conspiracy theory promoters." [Media Matters, 12/9/22]
Luna Allowed Guests To Spread False Claims Of 2020 Election Fraud According to Media Matters, "Luna often allowed and even prompted her interview guests to spread false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election." [Media Matters, 12/9/22]
2023: Luna Served As Director Of Hispanic Outreach For Turning Point USA According to TIME, "Luna got her start by cultivating a following as the director of Hispanic outreach for the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA." [TIME, 7/10/23]
Anna Paulina Luna Worked For PragerU And Turning Point USA In The Mid 2010s According to RationalWiki, "Later, she entered the world of political commentary in the mid 2010s --- ultimately landing gigs with Dennis Prager and Turning Point USA." [RationalWiki, 12/9/23]
Luna Worked As Conservative Commentator For Fox News And Newsmax According to a blog post by Bellucci on TheDPLG, "Luna has worked as a conservative commentator for various media outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax." [Blog Post - Bellucci on TheDPLG, 2/1/25]
Anna Paulina Luna Became Director Of Hispanic Engagement For Turning Point USA According to Historica Wiki, "After changing her surname to 'Luna' to reflect her previously-unclaimed Hispanic heritage, she became Director of Hispanic Engagement for Turning Point USA before running for the US House of Representatives in 2020 and 2022." [Historica Wiki, 1/18/25]
2019: Anna Paulina Luna Worked For Turning Point USA And Had A Strong Social Media Presence According to Tampa Bay Times, "An outspoken conservative with a sizable social media following, Luna has risen in the same pro-Trump media environment where Gaetz is revered as the president's No. 1 defender in Congress. She has worked for Turning Point USA, the conservative organization for young people that often holds events with surrogates from Trump's inner circle, like his son Donald Trump, Jr." [Tampa Bay Times, 11/5/19]
2019: Anna Paulina Luna Was Described As An Outspoken Conservative With A Sizable Social Media Following According to Tampa Bay Times, "An outspoken conservative with a sizable social media following, Luna has risen in the same pro-Trump media environment where Gaetz is revered as the president's No. 1 defender in Congress." [Tampa Bay Times, 11/10/19]
2019: Anna Paulina Luna Previously Worked For Turning Point USA According to Tampa Bay Times, "She has worked for Turning Point USA, the conservative organization for young people that often holds events with surrogates from Trump's inner circle." [Tampa Bay Times, 11/10/19]
2020: Anna Paulina Luna Held Leadership Roles in Conservative Organizations According to an editorial published in Tampa Bay Times, "A graduate of West Florida University, she is the former director of Hispanic engagement for Turning Point U.S.A., a nonprofit that trains and organizes students to promote freedom. She's currently the chairwoman of Hispanic initiatives at PragerU, a nonprofit that creates political and economic videos from a conservative perspective." [Editorial - Tampa Bay Times, 7/22/20]
2020: Anna Paulina Luna Previously Served As Director Of Hispanic Engagement At Turning Points USA According to Tampa Bay Times, "Prior to this race, Luna had a stint as as director of Hispanic Engagement at Turning Points USA, the pro-Trump young conservative group founded by Charlie Kirk." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/28/20]
Prior To 2021: Luna Worked For Turning Point USA And Was Conservative Commentator According to Tampa Bay Times, 'Luna, who worked for Turning Point USA and made a name for herself as an outspoken conservative commentator, has won endorsements from national Republicans like Newt Gingrich and radio host Charlie Kirk.' [Tampa Bay Times, 11/11/21]
2022: Anna Paulina Luna Worked for Turning Point USA and PragerU According to an editorial published in Tampa Bay Times, "She has worked as director of Hispanic engagement for Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that trains and organizes students to promote freedom, and as chairperson of Hispanic initiatives at PragerU, a nonprofit that creates political and economic videos from a conservative perspective." [Editorial - Tampa Bay Times, 10/11/22]
2023: Luna Previously Ran Hispanic Outreach For Turning Point USA According to The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "It was a moment Luna was made for after running Hispanic outreach for the pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA, where she mastered the art of provocative internet virality." [Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 9/14/23]
Central Florida Post Reported Luna Worked As A Dancer At Red Rose Gentlemen's Club In 2014 According to Central Florida Post, "In 2014, when she was still active duty in the United States Air Force in Fort Walton Beach, Ms. Mayerhofer was working as a dancer (stripper, exotic entertainer) at the Red Rose Gentlemen's Club in Fort Walton Beach, an establishment that was on the 'Do Not Go' list for active duty members. Police reports, with sworn statements from witnesses, identified Luna's role at the strip club as that of a dancer, though Luna has repeatedly claimed that she was 'just a cocktail waitress.'" [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
2021: Luna Denied Being A Stripper But Admitted To Working At Red Rose Gentlemen's Club According to Central Florida Post, "When asked directly about her past at the Red Rose Gentlemen's Club, owned by Cash's Liquor [...] Luna continued to claim she 'wasn't a stripper', but did admit to working there in violation." [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
Exotic Dancing Employment Claims Regarding Luna Surfaced, Contradicting Her Statements According to Floridian Press, "In the interview, Luna speaks about her past employment as a cocktail waitress at a Pensacola-area men's club or strip club. But there may be documents that could show that Luna actually worked as an exotic dancer or stripper, and not as a waitress." [Floridian Press, 10/1/21]
2022: Orlando Local News Identified Anna Paulina Luna As A Former Stripper And Congressional Candidate According to Orlando Local News, "Former stripper and Congressional candidate Anna Paulina Luna is prepared to join conservative action group Turning Point USA [...]" [Orlando Local News, 7/15/22]
2022: Orlando Local News Reported Anna Paulina Luna Denied Working At A Tampa Club As A Stripper According to Orlando Local News, "Luna has taken recent criticism hard for her denials. Provocateur and Central Florida Post Editor Jacob Engels recently approached the former stripper regarding a police report indicating Luna worked at the club listed in Tampa, according to public records." [Orlando Local News, 7/15/22]
2024: Tribune Reported Luna Reacted To Viral MAGA Swimsuit Video According to Tribune, "Florida Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna has responded to the resurfacing of an old video showing her dancing in a MAGA-themed swimsuit, which has attracted attention on social media." [Tribune, 8/15/24]
2016: Luna Wore MAGA Swimsuit In Pre-Congress Video According to Tribune, "The 35-year-old congresswoman, who has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, wore the swimsuit in a 2016 video to express her backing for Trump before she took office last year." [Tribune, 8/15/24]
2024: Luna Confirmed Swimsuit Video And Biological Sex On X According to Tribune, Luna took to X (formerly Twitter) to humorously confirm that she has indeed worn swimsuits and emphasised her identity as a woman, using the hashtag 'MAGA.' [Tribune, 8/15/24]
2024: Luna Referred To Features In Sports Illustrated And Maxim According to Tribune, "She also highlighted her previous features in Sports Illustrated and Maxim and mentioned her experience in designing swimwear before entering politics." [Tribune, 8/15/24]
August 2024: Luna Responded To Criticism Over Past Modeling Career According to Tampa Bay Times, "In August, some of Luna's critics launched a bizarre attack on her for her past modeling. Her supporters posted videos of her wearing a Make America Great Again bikini, claiming Luna as an avatar for conservative womanhood. (Luna brushed off the controversy: 'I'm confirming that I have indeed worn swimsuits and you can tell I am biologically a woman,' she posted.)" [Tampa Bay Times, 10/19/24]
2014: Luna Modeled For Maxim And Liberty Belles While Serving In Military According to Tampa Bay Times, "She had to get the military's permission before she could appear in a swimsuit Maxim in 2014, where she was a 'Hometown Hottie' representing Fort Walton Beach. She also was featured on si.com as a 'Lovely Lady of the Day' and was once a model for Liberty Belles, a website that highlights women posing in camouflage bikinis with guns." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/6/20]
Fox News: Video Resurfaced Of Anna Paulina Luna Posing In A MAGA Swimsuit According to Fox News, "Video resurfaces of Republican Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna posing in MAGA swimsuit." [Fox News THE GREG GUTFELD SHOW 10:00 PM EST, 8/15/24]
2023: Time Magazine Named Anna Paulina Luna One Of Its Top 100 Rising Stars According to The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "Time magazine has recognized Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna as one of the rising stars in American politics and culture." [Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 9/14/23]
Luna Endorsed Conspiracy Theories And Defended Rittenhouse According to Media Matters, "During an interview with right-wing influencer Craig Long, for example, she endorsed conspiracy theories about a Democratic 'cabal ... working with corporations and big tech media' to affect the election and asked whether Democrats focus on race-related issues for 'nefarious reasons.' [...] Luna would go on to defend Kyle Rittenhouse and spread false right-wing claims that President Biden called Rittenhouse a white supremacist." [Media Matters, 12/9/22]
2020: Luna Compared Clinton To Herpes On Fox News According to Tampa Bay Times, "She once compared Hillary Clinton to herpes during a Fox News interview, prompting the host to apologize to viewers." [Tampa Bay Times, 9/17/20]
2018: Luna Compared Hillary Clinton To Herpes On Fox News And Later Called It A Mistake According to Tampa Bay Times, "making national news Thanksgiving morning 2018 when during a Fox News appearance, she compared Hillary Clinton to herpes. She was removed from the segment and the host apologized. Luna told the Tampa Bay Times she didn't know she was live on air and called it a mistake." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/6/20]
2020: Tampa Bay Times Reported Luna Was A Former Obama Supporter And Swimsuit Model According to Floridian Press, "The journey from Anna Paulina Mayerhofer to Anna Paulina Luna, from 'avid supporter' of President Barack Obama to swimsuit model to conservative firebrand, has been rapid. The evolution coincides with her decision to challenge Crist in the district that covers southern Pinellas County." [Floridian Press, 10/1/21]
2022: Anna Paulina Luna Previously Identified as an Obama Supporter and Democrat According to an editorial published in Tampa Bay Times, "Luna, who once called herself 'a two-time very avid supporter of Obama in my early years and considered myself a Democrat,' has moved farther to the right in the two years since she last ran for office." [Editorial - Tampa Bay Times, 10/11/22]
Anna Paulina Luna Conducted Activist Work For Bienvenido, Described As A Nonpartisan Hispanic Organization According to RationalWiki, "Luna has done some activist work for an organization called Bienvenido, a 501(c)3 'nonpartisan' organization that bills itself as one that is dedicated to the enhancement of the Hispanic community." [RationalWiki, 12/9/23]
Luna Participated In Grassroots Mobilization For Conservative Causes According to a blog post by Bellucci on TheDPLG, "As a conservative activist, Luna has actively participated in grassroots mobilization efforts, such as organizing rallies, protests, and voter registration drives, to promote conservative values and mobilize support for conservative candidates." [Blog Post - Bellucci on TheDPLG, 2/1/25]
Anna Paulina Luna Held Early Career In Air Force And As Conservative Activist Prior To 2020 Candidacy According to Tampa Bay Times, "Nacida en el sur de California es veterana de la Fuerza Aérea de Estados Unidos y ex modelo de trajes de baño que ingresó a la política trabajando para la organización conservadora sin fines de lucro Turning Point USA." [Tampa Bay Times, 11/4/20]
2022: Luna Shared Stage With DeSantis At iGas USA Event According to Orlando Sentinel, "One of the letters was co-signed by two Tampa-area Republicans who shared the stage with DeSantis at the 2022 rally and who have also taken big checks from iGas employees and affiliated companies: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Rep. Laurel Lee." [Orlando Sentinel (Florida), 11/17/23]
2022: Anna Paulina Luna Built Reputation As Conservative Commentator Before Winning Primary According to Tampa Bay Times, "Luna has built a reputation as a firebrand, coming from a background as a conservative commentator for groups like the youth-focused Turning Point and Hispanic-focused El American." [Tampa Bay Times, 8/12/22]