Eric Lynn ad hits Anna Paulina Luna as abortion ‘extremist,’ 2020 denier

Eric Lynn couldn't stop Anna Paulina Luna from taking Pinellas County.

Democrat Eric Lynn is laying into Republican Anna Paulina Luna for her views on abortion and her commitment to former President Donald Trump in his first digital ad of the General Election.

Lynn is set to square off against Luna in Florida’s 13th Congressional District in Pinellas County after the Republican nominee won her Primary contest with 44% of the vote on Tuesday. In his new ad, the campaign uses Luna’s own voice to highlight “her extremism and devotion to Trump over Pinellas families.”

The first sound bite features Luna describing herself as a “pro-life extremist.”

“I’m a pro-life extremist — and I’m not hiding that,” the ad begins.

Last year, Luna came out in support of Texas’ abortion law that bans the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected and asks civilians to police the measure, a stance that was too far for Florida Senate Republican leadership.

In the second clip, Luna says she would have voted against the PACT Act, a measure to expand health care for veterans who have been exposed to toxic chemicals at a cost of $280 billion over a decade. The measure passed the U.S. House 342-88 with unanimous support from Democrats while a minority of Republicans, including six members of Florida’s delegation, voted against it.

Two final clips show Luna saying she believes Trump won the 2020 election, that voter fraud occurred in the race and that the election was stolen.

In a statement accompanying the release of the 27-second digital ad, Lynn portrayed himself as the moderate candidate in CD 13, where he would be the effective successor to U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

“I am running for Congress to reject extremism from all sides and be an independent moderate voice for the people of Pinellas that puts service before party,” Lynn said. “From Bill Young to Charlie Crist, Pinellas has a history of electing common-sense leaders who will fight for our shared values and deliver the results we need to improve the lives of working families and veterans all across the county. I am the only candidate in this race who on day one, will be ready to do exactly that.”

A poll conducted last month by David Binder Research found Lynn leading Luna 45%-43%, well within the margin of error. That’s still surprising for a district that voted for Trump by 7 points in 2020 and for Gov. Ron DeSantis by 4 points in 2018. But the poll also sheds some light on why that might be the case, particularly in post-Roe America.

Voters polled expressed strong support for a candidate “who will keep politicians and the government out of people’s personal decisions on abortion and who they marry,” with 78% of voters supporting this candidate and only 14% opposing.

Highlighting the PACT Act could also be important for Lynn, as an estimated 10% of Pinellas County residents are veterans. Lynn also spent eight years in President Barack Obama’s administration in national security, but Luna holds military credentials as a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Lynn is endorsed by Crist, four other Democrats from the Florida Delegation, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and a host of other current and former officials. Luna has Trump’s endorsement, plus those of several sitting members of Congress, including Florida U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds and Greg Steube. She is also endorsed by former U.S. House Speaker and conservative commentator Newt Gingrich and conservative activist and talk show host Charlie Kirk.

“56 percent of the Republican base rejected Anna Luna on Primary Night,” said Lynn’s campaign manager, Andrew Bernucca. “It’s clear why: Anna Luna is too extreme for Pinellas County. Her history of dishonesty, promoting conspiracy theories, and putting politics over people will lead to her defeat this November.”