Trump backs Luna in Pinellas congressional race
FOX / file
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - With Republicans hoping to pick up a congressional seat in the Tampa Bay region next year, former President Donald Trump gave his backing Tuesday to GOP candidate Anna Paulina Luna.
Trump, in an email from his Save America PAC, called the race in what is now Congressional District 13 a "key" to Republicans gaining control of the U.S. House.
"Anna is a warrior, she is a winner, and it’s time for all America First Republicans to unite behind her strong campaign. Anna has my complete and total endorsement," Trump said in the email.
The seat will be open in 2022 because incumbent Democrat Charlie Crist is running for governor.
Luna was the Republican nominee for the seat in 2020 but lost to Crist by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent.
The district’s boundaries, however, will be redrawn before the 2022 elections because of the once-a-decade reapportionment process.
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Luna is one of 10 candidates, including five Republicans, who have filed paperwork for the race, according to the Federal Election Commission website.