AMAC Magazine: Volume 17, Issue 5 - SEP/OCT 2023

since 2021, has gone from a little- known Congressman to one of the most high-profile Republicans in Washington. His name is now even mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick in the 2024 race. One of Donalds’s first big moments came last November when he introduced Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his reelection victory speech. But just a few months later, in a somewhat unexpected move, Donalds endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary even though DeSantis was widely expected to enter the race — starting a trend of other Florida Republicans who did the same. In recent months, Donalds has been front and center on the campaign trail advocating for Trump’s America First platform in key battleground states. He has also become a sought-after surrogate for the former president on cable news networks. In another testament to Donalds’s mounting political strength, he was considered earlier this year as an alternative to Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House, garnering the support of 20 House Republicans during the January speakership showdown. As one of five black Republicans currently serving in Congress, Donalds’s popularity has undermined the left’s identity politics narrative. As Donalds often describes himself, he is “everything the fake news media says doesn’t exist: a Trump-supporting, liberty-loving, pro-life, pro–Second Amendment black man” and member of Florida’s congressional delegation with a promising future.

leverage digital media and reach a young, diverse audience, Luna’s future looks bright.

Last November, Floridians elected Anna Paulina Luna to represent the 13th congressional district — the first Mexican-American woman ever elected to Congress from the Sunshine State. Luna is an Air Force veteran and former social media influencer who has quickly established herself as an up-and-comer in the national conservative landscape. A member of the House Oversight Committee, she has taken on a leading role in investigations into what the government knows about UFO sightings — a particularly hot topic in the news recently. She has also cosponsored legislation to impeach key Biden administration officials, get gender ideology out of the federal government, protect unborn children, and secure the southern border. Earlier this year, Luna was hailed by the Tampa Bay Times for being at the “center of the conservative rebellion in Congress.” With her expert understanding of how to

Though it remains unlikely that Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy will dethrone Donald Trump as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, it is abundantly clear that he has struck a chord with conservative Americans. A native Ohioan born to Indian immigrants, Ramaswamy is a successful entrepreneur and, at 38, the youngest candidate in the 2024 presidential field. Since entering the race in February, he has helped to drive the political conversation in several important ways, including by focusing much of his campaign on restoring a sense of national identity and outlining a clear plan for dismantling the bloated federal bureaucracy. He was widely viewed as the star of the first GOP debate in August. His status as a 2024 breakout candidate has also come in part thanks to his regular media appearances, where he impressively punches back

continued on page 14

12 • AMAC Magazine

Powered by