Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) publicly criticized fellow Republican Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) for what she called a “tone deaf” attack, as reported by The Hill. The Florida lawmaker stepped up to defend a political rival, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), after Kennedy mocked Ocasio-Cortez’s past experience as a bartender.
Luna took to X to express her strong disagreement with Kennedy’s comments. She made it clear that while she often doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Ocasio-Cortez, “to knock her or anyone for being a bartender is not a ‘hit,’ it’s tone deaf.” Luna, who served five years in the Oregon Air National Guard, highlighted that many people don’t come from a “political pedigree.” She added, “Shoot, half of DC spends its time in bars and love the bartenders.”
Kennedy compared Ocasio-Cortez to Vice President Kamala Harris, but with “more bartending experience.” The Louisiana Republican also suggested that the progressive lawmaker, who worked as a bartender in the Bronx after earning her degree from Boston University, “has never been accused of being a policy maven.” His criticism followed some conservative backlash, including from President Trump, over Ocasio-Cortez’s comments at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month.
Beyond just defending Ocasio-Cortez, Luna also had some advice for Kennedy
Luna suggested he should focus his attention on calling out Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.). McConnell, as the chair of the Senate Rules Committee, hasn’t scheduled a vote on a GOP-backed voting reform bill that passed the House nearly two weeks ago.
Ocasio-Cortez herself wasn’t quiet about Kennedy’s comments, firing back on X, “My having been a waitress makes me 1000x more qualified to govern on behalf of working people than whatever lifelong politician nonsense you’ve swung from your whole career.” She then directly challenged Kennedy, asking, “Why should working people vote for you if this is what you think of them?”
It’s worth noting that Senator Kennedy has quite a long political history, having been an elected official for over three decades. He earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from the University of Virginia. So, he definitely has a different background compared to Ocasio-Cortez’s more recent entry into politics after her bartending career.
This whole exchange just goes to show that in politics, you never know who’s going to step up and defend whom, especially when it comes to what many see as an attack on the working class.
Published: Feb 23, 2026 12:30 pm