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While the nationwide red wave Republicans were hoping for failed to appear on Nov. 8, they had a stellar night in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) won reelection by nearly 20 points after barely eking out a victory in 2018, while Sen. Marco Rubio (R) also coasted to victory by a 16-point margin.
But it’s a handful of wins in the House of Representatives that will shift the dynamic on Capitol Hill next year, and some of the most consequential came in the Sunshine State.
VOTERS ELECTED FEWER HISPANICS TO CONGRESS IN 15 YEARS DESPITE RECORD-HIGH CANDIDATES ON BALLOT
Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna’s seat is one of four Republicans picked up on Election Day, and with the GOP set to take control of the House with just a 222-seat majority, the wins on Election Day proved decisive for the party.
Luna’s performance was one of the best of the campaign season for House Republicans, with the incoming freshman flipping former Rep. Charlie Crist’s (D) old seat by nearly the same margin she lost to him in her first bid to represent Florida’s 13th Congressional District in 2020.
Luna, who says she wants to “bring the Florida light to a swampy place,” credited her success to her campaign’s ground game, knocking on tens of thousands of doors and making even more calls to constituents.
“What contributed to our win was not just the fact that our legislature fought for constitutional congressional maps but also too that we largely placed an emphasis on a grassroots campaign,” she told the Washington Examiner earlier this month. “So, by the time I was done with my election, I had knocked on over 50,000 doors and made over … what seemed like 90,000 phone calls. And that was not paid knockers or paid staff; that was volunteers.”
Her district on the west coast of Florida reelected Crist 53% to nearly 47% in 2020. After redistricting, Crist resigned to run for governor, and in a hard-fought campaign, Luna defeated her Democratic challenger, Eric Lynn, for the open seat 53% to 45%.
Luna outfundraised Lynn, but much of her war chest was spent winning the GOP nomination earlier in the cycle.
“I think that yes, money does help for elections, but also you have to have a connection to the people that you’re hoping to represent,” Luna said. “I saw a crossover from both Democrats and independents. I did not change my message. People respect the fact that I’m not from Washington, D.C., that I’m funded by people’s dollars and not special interests. And that’s really the message I hope to bring to the Republican Party.”
Luna says she hopes for assignments to the oversight committee or veterans’ affairs committee, where she feels she could best use her experience in the Air Force, and is adamant Republicans must investigate Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Rep.-elect Laurel Lee (R) is another new face from Florida on Capitol Hill, though she’s no stranger to politics. She served as DeSantis’s secretary of state from 2019 to 2022, before which she was a county circuit judge. She won the 15th District by 17 points, overperforming its 6-point GOP partisan lean.
“My background is in law, and I spent many years focused on our criminal justice system and also working on a variety of different criminal cases and issues in our community, including things related to immigration,” Lee told the Washington Examiner. “So, public safety and community safety are very important to me, and I look forward to being a part of any legislation or conversation that is surrounding those issues, and how we might ensure that they’re a priority here in Congress.”
Along with the four congressional seats Republicans picked up in Florida, they easily defended several seemingly competitive districts. The party credited DeSantis’s efforts redrawing the state’s congressional maps for their wins.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Republicans in Congress owe a big thank you to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose insistence on redrawing the state’s congressional districts led to a four-seat pickup in the U.S. House on Tuesday,” Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), who may chair the powerful ways and means committee in the new Congress, said last month.
Luna and Lee will be joined by new Florida Reps.-elect Cory Mills (R) and Aaron Bean (R) in January.
