'Media-obsessed' Anna Paulina Luna reveals secret to her rising power as she turns into Republicans' 'favorite headache'

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Published: 14:28, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 14:33, 21 June 2026 A glamorous influencer-turned-congresswoman has taken up her old habits.  Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, 37, is one of the most visible House lawmakers on social media, posting nearly daily about stories that interest the MAGA base and cause headaches for GOP leadership on Capitol Hill.     'I am Mike Johnson's favorite headache,' the second-term lawmaker told the Wall Street Journal of her relationship with the most powerful Republican in Congress. From championing wild CIA whistleblower theories about the assassination of John F Kennedy to waging a war against toxic pesticides - a battle embraced by the Make America Healthy Again movement - and flirting with a bid to lead the Republican National Committee, there are seemingly few topics the Floridian won't discuss.  Those were all just topics she brushed over recently, but Luna has been making waves for years over her penchant for social media posting.  She has millions of followers across Instagram and X, and she's not afraid to whip them into a frenzy to push her agenda.  The Air Force veteran and former influencer - who worked with Turning Point USA before joining Congress - says her knack for stirring up interest online has ruffled some feathers among congressional GOP leadership.   'Everything that I've had to do is because of operating outside of normal procedure, because they will intentionally hold your legislation back if you don't fall in line and I refuse to give up my autonomy,' she told the Journal.  'I am Mike Johnson's favorite headache,' Luna told the Wall Street Journal of her relationship with the most powerful Republican in Congress. Her social media posting has caught the attention of many of her colleagues, who describe her as 'media obsessed'  Luna regularly posts on hot-button MAGA topics like the government's files on UFOs, the JFK assassination and the Jeffrey Epstein files Luna, shown in a modeling shot before she ran for Congress, posed for Maxim and Sports Illustrated while she was still considered a GOP influencer Luna's GOP House colleagues have noted that she's a talented social media influencer. They have also said that she is causing the institution some problems.     'She's very talented, but she operates out of process, and that I think institutionally is a problem,' said Montana Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke. He added that she embodies the slide from decorum that has befallen Congress since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.  'While she has a large Twitter following, she's not somebody I go to for legislative advice,' New York Republican Congressman Nick LaLota told the Journal.  Some colleagues reportedly described Luna as 'impulsive' and 'media-obsessed.' Before politics, Luna built her following as a gun-toting, border-hawking Latina conservative on Instagram. As her follower count rose, she was offered opportunities to model for Maxim and Sports Illustrated.  She also posed for bikini-clad pictures for Liberty Belles, a website that spotlighted women in camouflage bathing suits while wielding guns.  Her pictures and activism later caught the attention of late TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk, who brought her into the conservative organization as a director for Hispanic outreach.  Luna's influencing later landed her a role at the conservative group Turning Point USA Luna speaks during a news conference on 'Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena' (UAP) outside of the Capitol Building on June 9, 2026 in Washington, DC After growing a large following, she ran for Congress, and after a failed bid in 2020, won a seat in Florida in 2022.   This month Luna announced she was filing charges against the leader of left-wing advocacy group Code Pink, claiming that the co-founder, Medea Benjamin, 'smacked' her.  Video of the interaction posted on X shows Bejnamin lightly brushing against Luna's arm. Luna claims the activist 'crossed a personal boundary that should NEVER be crossed.' Last month, before that scuffle, Luna shouted online about how a CIA whistleblower alleged that officials interfered with files about JFK and MKUltra, a past government program studying human mind control and psychedelics, among other things.  Both topics have been slated for declassification under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  During a broadcast hit, she said the interference appeared to be an 'internal coup.'  In another episode, Luna leaned into a battle between MAHA activists and her GOP colleagues over a provision in the Farm Bill that would shield pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits.  She threatened to 'blow up' the Farm Bill if the language was included. The provision was later scrapped, and some Republicans reportedly blamed Luna for MAHA activists targeting them.   'I actually have a text message from a member on the [Agriculture] committee saying that I was fighting the pesticide liability shield for attention, and that I was a damn liar,' Luna told the Journal. Her willingness to engage on hot-button issues that may be politically perilous and eagerness to take on some of her Republican colleagues is painted by the view that she does not want to be in politics her whole life.  'I think a lot of people want to do this for 20 years,' Luna said. 'I do not want to do this for 20 years.'  Luna's office has been contacted for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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