Meet the 17 GOP Women Running For United States Congress From Florida

The 2020 election season is in full swing, and here at FFL we’re excited to see that there has been a surge in Republican women running for public office. We love to celebrate conservative women in all capacities and give our readers a look at what they stand for.

Across Florida’s 27 Congressional Districts, 17 women are running for seats in the US House of Representatives. There is not a Senate race in 2020. The Florida filing deadline was June 12, 2020. The primary to determine which candidates move onto the general election will take place on August 18, 2020. Here are the 17 female Republican candidates. Here’s what you need to know!

Kat Cammack (FL-03)

Kat describes herself as “a small business owner, a proud wife to a first responder, an alumnus of the United States Naval War College, and the former Deputy Chief of Staff to Representative Ted Yoho. Yoho represented Florida 3rd District before announcing his retirement in December. Kat is a strong supporter of President Trump, the Second Amendment, and pro-life values.

Amy Pope Wells (FL-03)

Amy and her husband Craig are small business owners in Clay, County Florida. She has a history of being active in local civics groups such as serving as Chairwoman of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Quality Task Force. She was also selected by President Trump and Vice President Pence in 2017 to serve on a committee that supports the United States-Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.

Vennia Francois (FL-10)

Vennia is a first-generation American, born and raised in Central Florida. She is an attorney, has served in various congressional offices, and worked at the SEC where she “protected the public from fraudulent and deceptive financial practices.” Her main policy issues are focusing on job creation, healthcare, immigration, veterans, and education.

Sheila Griffin (FL-13)

Sheila sums up her beliefs as pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-family, and pro-small government. She also is a life long Republican. She notes on her website that she “is proud to be a leader amid a wave of conservative African-Americans who stand by the heritage and history of civil rights and principles of freedom.” She holds a bachelor’s in Psychology, a master’s in Public Administration, a master’s in Theology, a Juris Doctorate in Law, and an advanced master’s degree in international law. 

Ana Paulina Luna (FL-13)

Ana Paulina Luna is a proud Hispanic-American who grew up in a lower-income area of Southern California. Her website describes her as “the antidote to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that Americans cannot pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Ana Paulina served five years with the Air Force and one year with the National Gaurd. She holds a degree in biology from the University of West Florida. If elected, she hopes to combat political corruption, defend the second amendment, and fix our immigration system.

Amanda Makki (FL-13)

Amanda and her family escaped the oppressive Iranian regime when she was a child and, as she describes it, came to the Land of Opportunity in search of the American dream. She was appointed by the George W. Bush Administration to serve the Army General Counsel at the Pentagon weeks after the 9/11/2001 terrorist acts. She has served as a senior adviser in both House and Senate offices and became one of the youngest partners at K&L Gates, one of the nation’s premier law firms.

Sharon Barry Newby (FL-13)

Sharon has been a business owner in Clearwater, Florida for over 40 years. Some of her listed experience includes being an educator for seven years, being a military wife during wartime, being an NRA member, and being a member of the Leadership Insitute. She is interested in maintaining a strong economy, views the Second Amendment as a woman’s issue, and supports a strong defense and veterans health issues.

Christine Quinn (FL-14)

Christine is looking to take on Democratic incumbent Kathy Castor. She has owned several small businesses in the Tampa area. In addition, she has volunteered with Catholic Charities and the Ronald Reagans’ presidential campaign. If elected, she hopes to focus on creating jobs, expanding education options, supporting the military and veterans, lowering healthcare costs, and protecting freedom.

Christy McLaughlin (FL-19)

Christy is a graduate of the Ave Maria Law School in Naples, Florida, where she established the Republican National Lawyer’s Association Chapter and was its President 2018-2019. She is an avid supporter of President Trump’s agenda. While she is “half-Cuban, half-Scottish, devout Catholic, young, female lawyer, she rejects identity politics. McLaughlin says the only identity that matters to her is being conservative.

Elizabeth Felton (FL-21)

Liz is the daughter of a German immigrant and navy veteran. Her goals if elected include eliminating and simplifying over-burdensome regulations, standing firm in protecting property rights, and reducing the influence of special interest groups in Washington D.C. She is proud to say she is “not a polished politician” and believes we need less of those in Washington.

Laura Loomer (FL-21)

Laura is a Jewish Conservative investigative journalist and activist. She has pledged to fight for free speech and First Amendment rights for all Americans. She is known for her work with Project Veritas and her “Guerrilla style journalism” which includes ambushing interviewees on live stream, known as getting “LOOMERED”.

Reba Sherrill (FL-21)

Reba is running on a platform focused on ending human trafficking, preventing further use of vaccines, ending abusive guardians, lowering levels of toxicity in our environment, and rooting our judicial corruption.

Jessica ‘Jessie’ Melton (FL-22)

Jessie graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from East Carolina University. In Boca Raton, Florida she leads a sisterhood ministry aimed at helping women and single mothers maximize their own career potential by achieving both spiritual and economic prosperity. In addition, she works with young girls struggling with eating disorders and addiction. She believes in fixing our broken immigration system, expanding educational opportunities, supporting Israel, and supporting the Second Amendment.

Darlene Swaffar (FL-22)

Darlene is a New York City native who earned an associate degree from St. John’s University in 1993 and attended Florida International University for business management. She describes her goal as to “protect our Constitution and help our President.” In 2019, Darlene won the Small Business Administration’s Business Growth Award and was a finalist in the South Florida Business Journal’s Up & Comers Awards.

Fran Flynn (FL-22)

Flynn’s guiding belief is to “esteem others more than herself, and to serve others.” She hopes to focus on assisting seniors. Flynn is concerned about the impact of the coronavirus and “many who want the President to fail.”

Carla Spalding (FL-23)

Carla came to the United States at 18 from Jamaica and became a naturalized citizen. She is a military veteran, a college professor, a COVID trauma nurse, and a single working parent. She hopes to address issues such as mental health and drug abuse, lowering healthcare costs, addressing the student loan crisis, ending illegal immigration, driving business to Florida, and stopping the spread of socialism.

Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27)

Maria was born in Maimi of Cuban parents, she is a University of Maimi and Harvard grad. She is a journalist who has worked with Univision and was an anchor on CNN Espanol. She stands against socialism in favor of the free market. Maria also believes in term limits, affordable healthcare, protecting the environment, and expanding educational access.