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Remember when the late President George Bush Senior warned us that “character matters” when referring to then Governor Bill Clinton? Most of the country collectively laughed at him and dismissed his warning. Unfortunately for our country, he was exactly right. 

In our nation’s storied history of politics, there are countless examples of imposters who have misrepresented themselves. When their lies were exposed, it was expected that they would withdraw their candidacy or resign. Whether it was infidelity, lying on their resume, or even committing stolen valor by completely fabricating stories of bravery in a combat zone, being untrustworthy was not acceptable. If only the same could be said today.

We need look no further than our current president as an example. In 1988, then Senator Joe Biden was caught plagiarizing a speech from Robert Kennedy in addition to inflating his academic record. Within a week of the revelations, he dropped out of the race. His penchant for lying has become his only strength. We are now suffering as a nation because the people that we choose to represent us are a direct reflection of the electorate. 

The late President Reagan created the 11^th Commandment. At that time, he never imagined that we would abandon our core values all in the name of “winning at all costs.” The Republican Party is the party of God, family, and Country. It believes that The Constitution is the blueprint for how this country should be run. Unfortunately, however, the GOP has now unknowingly adopted the philosophy of Progressive Left, which is to run candidates who demonstrate hate for this nation and its founding principles. In our party, we call them Republican in Name Only (RINOs), and there is an exhaustive list of these candidates, who once talked great game but morphed into liberals once receiving the nomination.

Such is the case in the congressional race in Florida’s 13^th District. The district faces another imposter, Anna Paulina Luna. She claims to be a conservative Republican and has deceived some Republicans into supporting her campaign, but she is really a two-time supporter of President Obama who declined to support Governor Ron DeSantis in 2018. She is a shameless political opportunist through and through and voters shouldn't take her bait.  

When Luna ran in 2020, she won a decisive victory in the primary while claiming to support “the America First agenda.” Once she had secured the nomination, she immediately pivoted to a new slogan of “Independent leadership,” which meant that she had deceived every single voter that supported her and abandoned her entire party. This didn’t surprise anyone familiar with Luna’s record. 

Luna is on the record saying, “I have always agreed with President Obama’s immigration policies…. “We need a pathway to citizenship.” Based on that glowing endorsement, she must be ecstatic with our current administration’s open border policies. 

She also doesn’t have the character of a conservative Republican. For example, she has blatantly lied about her military service, the nature of it and how long she actually served.  During her last run, she posted a photo dressed in military uniform with the quote, “until you have spilled blood for this country, you cannot understand the fight for freedom.” Anna never served in a combat zone. She was summarily discharged from the U.S. Force for “failure to perform” her duties. Veterans in FL-13 believe she is guilty of stolen valor. Under Florida law, it is a felony to misrepresent military service for fundraising.

There is clear evidence that Anna Paulina Luna has a long history of abusing the court system to settle personal vendettas. She does have a fantastical imagination, though. Last year, she accused a former primary challenger of stalking and attempting to kill her,  proven in a court of law to be a complete fabrication. She accused the longtime advisor to former President Trump, Roger Stone of attempting to poison her.

Anna Paulina Luna can dance around the facts all she wants, but it is clear who she really is and where her allegiances stand

According to all polling data, the only credible candidate that can win the primary and the general election is Kevin Hayslett. He has the character, integrity, and moral fortitude to fight Joe Biden’s progressive liberal agenda. General Michael Flynn has echoed those sentiments, describing Hayslett as a “solid reliable, consistent Conservative” in his endorsement letter. 

This is a pivotal election year and every single seat counts. It is my sincere hope the electorate in FL-13 makes the right decision this Tuesday.

MARK ANTHONY IS A FORMER SILICON VALLEY EXECUTIVE WITH FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. (NASDAQ: FORR). MARK IS NOW THE HOST OF THE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW THE PATRIOT AND THE PREACHER SHOW. FIND OUT MORE AT PATRIOTANDPREACHERSHOW.COM.