Washington Post forced to issue correction after claiming GOP congresswoman was once registered Democrat

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The Washington Post issued a correction Friday on a story about Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., that incorrectly stated she was previously a Democrat.

"A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Anna Paulina Luna was registered as a Democrat in Washington state in 2017 based on an erroneous voter registration database. Washington state only requires voters to declare their party affiliation when they cast a ballot in a presidential primary," the Post wrote in a correction at the top of its article.

The Post corrected that claim in the story after Fox News Digital requested comment, and noted in the updated story that the claim was "based on an erroneous voter registration database."

Luna also claimed on Twitter that the paper featured quotes about her from relatives and friends to whom she doesn't speak.

The outlet published a profile on the freshman congresswoman Friday that delved into her personal and political upbringing prior to her being elected to Congress.

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Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee business meeting in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Post seemed keen on selling her current political iteration as something those close to her are "surprised" by.

"Twelve years before she was elected as the first Mexican American woman to represent Florida in Congress, Anna Paulina Luna was serving at Whiteman Air Force Base in Warrensburg, Mo., where friends said she described herself as alternately Middle Eastern, Jewish or Eastern European," the Post reported.

The outlet noted her "given last name of Mayerhofer," pointed out that she "sported designer clothing" and claimed she was previously a Democrat.

"Luna’s sharp turn to the right, her account of an isolated and impoverished childhood, and her embrace of her Hispanic heritage have come as a surprise to some friends and family who knew her before her ascent to the U.S. House this year," the article added.

Using her old friends and relatives to debunk Paulina’s claims about her background, the Post said, "A cousin who grew up with Luna said she was regularly included in family gatherings," and noted that "her roommate in Missouri had no recollection of the ‘home invasion'" Luna detailed while serving in the Air Force there.

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Then Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is seen outside a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"She would really change who she was based on what fit the situation best at the time," her roommate told the Post.

Shortly after the piece was published, Luna ripped it on Twitter, accusing it of reporting inaccuracies and promoting falsehoods.

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"Holy s*** the Washington post just tried to claim my dad was never incarcerated, left out comments from my mom, said I was a registered Democrat, and did not report a convo they had with a former roommate, and interviewed ‘family’ I don’t talk to. This is comical," she tweeted.

The Washington Post logo. (Oliver Contreras/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Post noted Luna was newly elected to Congress alongside Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who has admitted to fabricating numerous parts of his biography. The report on Friday noted that Luna's mother affirmed several of the stories that Luna told on the campaign trail, such as her grandmother's death from AIDS and an armed robbery Luna survived at age nine. 

Fox News' Thomas Phippen contributed to this report.