Rep. Byron Donalds’s (R., Fla.) decision to run for governor — a race he is favored to win — opened up his safely Republican House district; a major crop of GOP candidates, including former members of Congress from North Carolina and New York, have filed to run to succeed Donalds, but a self-proclaimed “blue state refugee” sees the race as a two-candidate race between herself and businessman Jim Schwartzel.
In an interview with the Washington Reporter, Catalina Lauf said that she decided to move from her home in Illinois to Southwest Florida because she “didn’t want to raise my future kids in a place that had tampons in little boys’ bathrooms.” Lauf said that “it’s sad to see some of these states be completely decimated by poor leadership. I wanted to be somewhere where I could build a future where I wasn’t beholden by big taxes and woke ideologies, and in a place that really matches my values. There are a ton of Midwesterners on this side of Florida in particular. A lot of us came here as blue state refugees and we wanted to build a future because we just didn’t have that in our home states.”
While Lauf is relatively new to Florida, several of the state’s top Republicans in Congress — Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.) and Kat Cammack (R., Fla.) — are among her highest-profile backers. Lauf told the Reporter that, if elected, she’d be “really proud to join the Florida delegation and to already have allies up there.”
In order to do that, Lauf will need to advance past a field that she said is categorized as one filled with candidates who “came here for ego or to find that they are on a redemption tour.” During her interview with the Reporter, and on the trail, she trained most of her fire on Schwartzel, who she categorized as someone beholden to “fake news [and] big pharma.”
Schwartzel, she said, is “backed by the media establishment that funds communist candidates across the country. He’s not a conservative at all, and we’re working hard on the ground, and our message is resonating with the district because people are very afraid of the communist threat, and they know that the communists are recruiting and funding young candidates, and we need to fight fire with fire.”
“We need a lion up there in Congress, especially in this seat,” Lauf said, “like Byron Donalds has been for us, and we need the next generation. Our message is resonating with this constituency a lot more than that of any of these other guys…Jim Oberweis, for example, had 50 years to move here. Why did he choose to do it in the last two? Our message is resonating the most with the constituency, and we’re confident that that’s what we’re seeing in the polls.”
Florida’s 19th District is filled with transplants from the Midwest, Lauf noted. But a different type of illegal immigration — illegal immigration — is what she said voters in the district are opposed to. “The biggest issue is illegal immigration,” she said. “This district in particular really values the legal process, and we have a great law enforcement community that’s working directly with ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens. That’s one of the biggest issues here: people are very appalled by the Biden administration and the invasion that happened. When it comes to the humanitarian crisis that we saw under Biden, they’re really happy that President Trump is solving it. That that is actually one of the top issues out here.”
With the primary fast approaching, Lauf is working overtime to speak directly with voters herself, but outside groups that both support and oppose her have been turning to innovative new tactics in the race’s closing days. One outside group, aligned with Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), ran an entirely-AI generated ad telling voters that she is closely aligned with President Donald Trump.
“It certainly was a interesting video,” she said, but Lauf noted that “it wasn’t the only AI ad in my race. There was an AI attack ad that had me in a bikini. My opponents were in suits and they looked all professional, but for some reason I was in a full-blown bikini, and I took more offense to that one than I did to this positive one.”
“But look,” she noted, “from an efficiency standpoint, AI has a lot to offer, and obviously that’s where the digital space is going.”
When it comes to the substance behind the ads, Lauf said that “voters are hugely supportive of” her record working in Trump’s administration. “Our district is a Trump +30 seat, so obviously they’re incredibly supportive of the president,” she said. “I’m the only candidate who has worked for the president, and I’m on Fox News, and I’m on other shows, always talking about the Trump agenda. I’ve been fighting for it for the last almost decade now, and I was supportive of the president in 2015, and that really translates to a lot of the voters out here who have been with the president since early on, and that’s why it’s so important that we do get a MAGA fighter in the seat. We don’t have time a backbenching RINO politician. My opponents are establishment hacks. We need to focus on fighters who can not only be great messengers but who can help carry the torch of the Trump agenda, support President Trump, but then also take on the Squad and the crazies.”
Should Lauf win the election in November, she’s given thought to the committees she’d like to serve on, telling the Reporter that the two that are at the top of her list are Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce.
“We want to support small business legislation and private sector pro-growth economic policies; those are two of interest,” she said. “I have a kids’ health company. I’m really passionate about the whole business sector in general. I come from that side of things, and we need more business people in office who can understand the legislation that is going to impact the everyday business owner, American worker, and how we’re actually revitalizing a lot of our industries.”
Below is a transcript of our interview with Catalina Lauf, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Catalina, you moved from Illinois to Florida decades before people normally make that decision. What made you decide to do that decades before people see the writing on the wall and do it in retirement?
Catalina Lauf:
Great question. I didn’t want to raise my future kids in a place that had tampons in little boys’ bathrooms; it’s sad to see some of these states be completely decimated by poor leadership. I wanted to be somewhere where I could build a future where I wasn’t beholden by big taxes and woke ideologies, and in a place that really matches my values. There are a ton of Midwesterners on this side of Florida in particular. A lot of us came here as blue state refugees and we wanted to build a future because we just didn’t have that in our home states.
Washington Reporter:
What is it about Southwest Florida that draws so many people from Illinois, and from these other blue states specifically?
Catalina Lauf:
It’s primarily family. A lot of people on this side of Florida already have some roots. I even grew up coming here for vacation. On the East Coast, there are a lot more New Yorkers and people from New Jersey, but this side with the Gulf of America has a ton of more Midwesterners. People, not only from a values perspective, came here with their families, and that’s a big push of mine too. I want to make Southwest Florida a place where young families can come to where their baby boomer parents are living, and make it. I want us to carry on with the Trump agenda, on issues ranging from affordability in an economic perspective, and make it a place where people of all walks of life want to live, not just retirees.
Washington Reporter:
Early voting has started. You’re running against a field that includes multiple former congressmen; how is it shaping up?
Catalina Lauf:
It’s between me and fake news, big pharma Jim Schwartzel; he owns all the fake news media out here. This is the same fake news media that tried to take down President Trump. He’s backed by the media establishment that funds communist candidates across the country. He’s not a conservative at all, and we’re working hard on the ground, and our message is resonating with the district because people are very afraid of the communist threat, and they know that the communists are recruiting and funding young candidates, and we need to fight fire with fire. We need a lion up there in Congress, especially in this seat, like Byron Donalds has been for us, and we need the next generation. Our message is resonating with this constituency a lot more than that of any of these other guys. A lot of these guys came here for ego or to find that they are on a redemption tour. Jim Oberweis, for example, had 50 years to move here. Why did he choose to do it in the last two? Our message is resonating the most with the constituency, and we’re confident that that’s what we’re seeing in the polls.
Washington Reporter:
What are the top issues for voters in the 19th District?
Catalina Lauf:
The biggest issue is illegal immigration; this district in particular really values the legal process, and we have a great law enforcement community that’s working directly with ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens. That’s one of the biggest issues here: people are very appalled by the Biden administration and the invasion that happened. When it comes to the humanitarian crisis that we saw under Biden, they’re really happy that President Trump is solving it. That that is actually one of the top issues out here.
Washington Reporter:
When it comes to foreign policy, what do you see as the top threats or issues abroad that you’re hearing from voters that they’re concerned about?
Catalina Lauf:
They’re actually a lot more domestic-focused. I am supportive of President Trump and what he is doing to prevent that Iran can’t get a nuclear weapon. But the majority of what we hear when we’re knocking on doors is that voters are really worried about the communist threat of these young socialists, especially for their children and grandchildren. They want to ensure that the American Dream is still going to be alive and well 20, 50 years from now.
Washington Reporter:
While you have no control over ads that outside groups run in support of you or in opposition to you, one that is very interesting was completely AI-generated. When you saw that on your phone or on your TV for the first time, what did you think? Where do you see AI factoring into our elections down the road?
Catalina Lauf:
It certainly was a interesting video. But it wasn’t the only AI ad in my race. There was an AI attack ad that had me in a bikini. My opponents were in suits and they looked all professional, but for some reason I was in a full-blown bikini, and I took more offense to that one than I did to this positive one. But look, from an efficiency standpoint, AI has a lot to offer, and obviously that’s where the digital space is going.
Washington Reporter:
One of the points in the ad that was in support of you was your experience working in the Trump administration, and your support for President Trump. How have those factored into the campaign trail?
Catalina Lauf:
Voters are hugely supportive of this. Our district is a Trump +30 seat, so obviously they’re incredibly supportive of the president. I’m the only candidate who has worked for the president, and I’m on Fox News, and I’m on other shows, always talking about the Trump agenda. I’ve been fighting for it for the last almost decade now, and I was supportive of the president in 2015, and that really translates to a lot of the voters out here who have been with the president since early on, and that’s why it’s so important that we do get a MAGA fighter in the seat. We don’t have time a backbenching RINO politician. My opponents are establishment hacks. We need to focus on fighters who can not only be great messengers but who can help carry the torch of the Trump agenda, support President Trump, but then also take on the Squad and the crazies.
Washington Reporter:
You ran against one of Trump’s top Republican opponents, Adam Kinzinger, when you were in Illinois. I’m sure you’ve given some amount of thought to what committees you would like to be on in terms of the nexus of both your own interest and what is most useful to your constituents?
Catalina Lauf:
That’s a great question. I’m very dedicated to being on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I’d be honored to join that. There are a lot of T&I issues out here in this district, and we’re really passionate about that. Energy and Commerce would be great too. We want to support small business legislation and private sector pro-growth economic policies; those are two of interest. I have a kids’ health company. I’m really passionate about the whole business sector in general. I come from that side of things, and we need more business people in office who can understand the legislation that is going to impact the everyday business owner, American worker, and how we’re actually revitalizing a lot of our industries.
Washington Reporter:
You mentioned Byron Donalds, who is running to be governor now, leaving this seat open, so he won’t be in D.C. next year. You’ve been endorsed by several members of Congress, both from Florida and from around the country. Who do you either look up to in Congress or see as potential collaborators on legislation with?
Catalina Lauf:
As you know, Anna Paulina Luna was one of the first to endorse us. She’s been such a powerhouse. She had a bill banning insider trading that was great. She was also supporting DOGE; she’s a great mentor and ally. Congresswoman Kat Cammack is another who we’re also proud to be endorsed by. They are tried and true conservative as we all are. All of them support President Trump and his agenda. I’ll be really proud to join the Florida delegation and to already have allies up there.
Washington Reporter:
You’ve also written a book while you were campaigning. Tell me a little bit about that.
Catalina Lauf:
It’s called Time to Choose, and it was inspired by Ronald Reagan’s A Time for Choosing speech. It essentially lays out the principles of the past and puts them on the backdrop of the present. I wanted to remind us about people like the Founders or Milton Friedman or Hayek, and apply those principles to the modern day political environment and the challenges that we face. But most of all, it’s also a call to action to the everyday American who has seen how politics has become over the last decade. These are people who saw President Trump be treated the way he was, and with the media bias, and the rise of the communist movement. I want people to actually have people get involved in the movement at every level.
Washington Reporter:
You’re a former blue state Republican from Illinois. I’m a blue state Republican from Maryland. What is your advice to your friends and family who’ve stayed in Illinois and to others in similar states like that? Should they stay where they’re from, where they live, or should they join you in Florida already?
Catalina Lauf:
They should join us in Florida. Our Founders developed a system where if you didn’t like the politics of where you are from, you had the ability to leave, and you had the ability to go to a state that matched your values. Southwest Florida truly is heaven on earth. I encourage anybody who’s ready to take the leap, who is sick of high taxes, who is sick of woke ideologies and soft on crime policies, to come to a place like Southwest Florida, where we have literally the complete opposite; it’s time that people do make the move. There’s been two million people already who have moved to Florida in general. Clearly what we’re doing here is we’re on the right track, and there’s only room to grow exponentially.
Washington Reporter:
Catalina, thanks for your time.
