The GOP primary in this Florida congressional district has become a total circus: report
Florida's 13th Congressional District received a major bombshell in May when Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Republican turned Democrat, announced that he is running for governor (a position he held in the past) and is hoping to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis if he wins the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile, on the GOP side, far-right Republicans in that district are engaged in a wild congressional primary battle to determine who will run against the Democratic nominee, whoever that turns out to be. And an article by Daily Beast reporters Zachary Petrizzo and Will Sommer, published on November 17, describes some of the ways in which that Republican primary has become a total circus.
The far-right Republican congressional hopefuls in Florida's 13th Congressional District have included Anna Paulina Luna, Amanda Makki and William Braddock, who dropped out of the race. Luna and Braddock both have had plenty of baggage. One of the controversies surrounding Luna involves her dog Gunner, who bit a nine-year-old child. Luna has alleged that Braddock wanted to hire a hit squad to have her killed.
Luna has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, but not everyone in MAGA World likes her. Petrizzo and Sommer report that Luna's foes include veteran GOP operative and Trump ally Roger Stone and his wingnut associate Lara Loomer, who describes Luna as "Anna Paulina Lunatic."
No stranger to controversy herself, Loomer has been slamming Luna because of her dog's attack on a nine-year-old. Loomer wrote, "She needs to put her dog on a leash. They say people are a lot like their animals, and in this case, Anna and her dog are both CRAZY AND OUT OF CONTROL. Those b*tches both need to HEEL."
Stone, meanwhile, dressed as Luna on Halloween, which was the self-described "dirty trickster's" way of mocking her.
In a court filing, Luna said of ex-candidate Braddock, "I do not feel safe, and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock."
"Braddock eventually dropped out of the race," Petrizzo and Sommer explain, "but in her court filings about the alleged murder plot, Luna also mentioned primary rival Amanda Makki and potential candidate and Stone friend Matt Tito as being involved in some sort of alliance with Braddock to foil Luna. Both candidates were angered by being mentioned in the filing, telling Politico in June that they had no connection to Braddock."
The Beast reporters continue, "Tito, who has not officially entered the race yet, was further incensed in July when, he said, Luna got him kicked out of a Tampa conference for Turning Point USA because of their rivalry. In Tito's telling, Luna allegedly asked TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk to have him removed."
Tito, interviewed by the Beast, said of Luna, "She got me kicked out of a TPUSA event and lied to Charlie Kirk."
If Tito enters the race, which he says is "likely," Stone may become his adviser. Tito told the Beast, "I mean, listen — this is a complete mess. Somehow, someway, Luna got Trump's endorsement."
