Catalina Lauf: Latin Roots, Entrepreneurial Spirit, and Trump’s Support

The story of Catalina Lauf begins long before politics. It starts with a mother immigrant from Guatemala, a small business owner father, and a family that deeply believed in the American Dream. Today, that story has led her to a congressional run, the support of President Donald Trump, and building her future in Southwest Florida.

For Catalina Lauf, her Latin roots are not just part of her biography. They are part of who she is.

Her mother arrived in the United States from Guatemala, and her father was a small business owner. At home, Lauf grew up witnessing firsthand what it means to start, work, and build. She learned that opportunities do not always come on their own and that behind a family's success are sacrifices that many times only those who live them can understand.

That family example also sparked an entrepreneurial spirit in her.

Along with her sister, Lauf co-founded a successful children’s health company that became a multimillion-dollar business. Before becoming a candidate, she was an entrepreneur. Before asking voters to trust her, she had to learn how to build, take risks, solve problems, and create opportunities.

And perhaps that’s why her story has a special connection to Southwest Florida.

Our region is full of Latino families who came seeking exactly the same thing her family sought: an opportunity to build a better life.

An decision that brought her to Florida

Catalina and her husband did not come to Florida by chance.

They chose this state because they found shared values: faith, freedom, opportunity, and a conservative vision of the future.

Today, she and her husband call Bonita Springs their home and want to raise their family there.

That decision gives her candidacy a different dimension. Catalina is not only seeking to represent Southwest Florida in Washington; she is personally betting on this community as the place where she wants to build her future.

For a Latino family, that decision has a special meaning. The search for a place to raise children, work, start a business, and build a better future is an experience that millions of Hispanics in the United States know firsthand.

Support from Donald Trump

And then came one of the most important moments of her campaign: full and total support from President Donald Trump.

Lauf is the only candidate supported by Trump in the race for Florida’s 19th District, a support that represents a significant recognition within the Republican Party and has become a central piece of her campaign.

But for Lauf, this support has a meaning that goes far beyond this election.

“I felt deeply honored to receive President Trump’s full and total support. For me, this did not start during this campaign. I have been alongside President Trump and the America First movement from the beginning. I had the privilege of serving in his administration and have defended the principles of this movement both in victories and battles.”

President Trump achieved historic advances with Latino voters because his message speaks of the values that many of our families share: faith, family, hard work, opportunities, and love for our country.

As the daughter of a legal immigrant, these values are personal to me. I know what the American Dream means and that it’s worth fighting for. I am proud to have been with President Trump from the beginning, and I am honored to have his trust today.

In Congress, I will never forget where this movement started, who we fight for, or the responsibility that comes with having earned President Trump’s support. I will fight every day to advance the America First agenda and deliver for Southwest Florida.”

— Catalina Lauf

That connection with Trump is not new for Lauf. Before returning to electoral politics, she was part of his first administration as a special advisor at the Department of Commerce.

Now she seeks to bring that experience to Washington.

Her campaign focuses on issues such as a secure border, strengthening the local economy, supporting small businesses and families, protecting Southwest Florida’s coasts, community safety, and defending the America First agenda.

A Latina woman in entrepreneurship and leadership

There is another aspect of Lauf’s story that deserves attention: her experience as a businesswoman.

In a community where more and more Latinos are creating businesses, hiring employees, and becoming engines of the local economy, seeing a Latina woman who built a multimillion-dollar company and now seeks a seat in Congress represents a rare story.

And for Latina women, perhaps even more so.

For generations, many Hispanic women have been the backbone of their families and communities. Today, we also see them leading companies, organizations, and community movements.

Lauf is part of that new generation.

Her business experience also influences how she talks about government. Her campaign highlights the importance of reducing barriers for small businesses, strengthening the economy, and keeping opportunities open for families who want to build something of their own.

From an immigrant family to a congressional candidacy

Catalina’s story combines elements that rarely appear together in a biography: Guatemalan roots, business experience, service in the federal government, a family building its future in Florida, and now a congressional run backed by President Trump.

But perhaps the most interesting part of her story is not any of these elements separately.

It’s how all of them connect.

A girl who grew up with the example of a mother who arrived from Guatemala. A family that knew the effort of small businesses. A young woman who became an entrepreneur. A woman who decided to start her own family in Florida. And now a candidate seeking to represent that community in Congress.

For Southwest Florida Latinos, Catalina Lauf’s story also reflects how our community is evolving.

More and more, Latinos are creating businesses, taking leadership positions, and seeking a voice in decisions that will shape our communities’ future.

Catalina Lauf wants to be part of that future.

And she does so from a deeply personal perspective: that of a daughter of immigrants who knows the value of opportunity, a businesswoman who understands what it means to build from scratch, and a woman who chose Florida because she believes her values represent the place where she wants to raise her family.

Now she seeks to bring that story, and that vision, to Washington.

Photos: Team Catalina