Sometimes, all it takes is encouragement from someone else to kickstart a brand-new chapter of life. That’s what happened to Ismael Luna, who — after being asked by Milwaukee alderperson and candidate for Wisconsin Secretary of State JoCasta Zamarripa — decided to run for Wisconsin Assembly District 8.
At the time, Luna was volunteering with the Red Cross to support his community through the aftermath of the 2025 floods by door knocking and handing out cleaning supplies. During this, Luna wondered who else was helping out. “I took the liberty to ask people, ‘Has anyone else besides the Red Cross come across this community and door knocked and provided cleaning supplies or any sort of assistance?’” Luna tells Her Campus. “Every door I hit, people said no one had shown up besides the Red Cross. No other agency or elected official. They [said], ‘No one ever comes near here. They only come during campaign season.’”
This, combined with Zamarripa’s encouragement, set Luna on a path to run for office, a notion that hadn’t previously occurred to him. But now, the 26-year-old is working tirelessly to represent the district that raised him.
Luna’s primary is coming up on Aug. 11, and he’s doing all that he can to prepare. When he’s not doing his job as a case manager at The Cathedral Center, a local shelter that supports women and families experiencing homelessness, he’s got his campaigning boots on the ground. His car is always full of post-work campaign stuff: outfit options, canvassing materials, and cleaning supplies (for his bi-weekly community cleanup events within the district). Right now, there’s not much time for rest. “Weekends no longer belong to me,” Luna says. “They belong to the people of District 8, making sure that I’m having meaningful conversations, and also attending events in the community.
Luna’s commitment to helping others runs deep. He was unhoused at age 14 and relied on other family members, friends, and his community for support. “I had to do anything in order to survive,” Luna says. “I also started working at the age of 14 at a local restaurant in the South Side of Milwaukee … And that’s why I’m so passionate about housing and being a case manager at a homeless shelter, [the] reason why I love to house people for a living, because I understand the struggles.”
In fact, much of Luna’s campaign is inspired by his personal experiences. As a first-generation American (Luna’s parents immigrated to the U.S. when they were very young), one of his top priorities is protecting immigrants in his community. “We have an administration at the federal level that refers to humans as aliens and whatever whenever they get a chance,” he says. “People in the South Side are afraid.”
Luna is using his platform to call for ICE to get out of Milwaukee. “When I look at ICE and everything that they’re doing — when it comes to killing U.S. citizens, killing people who are non-U.S. citizens, everything that is going on in the detention centers and the horrific stories about sexual abuse, immigrant people and undocumented people dying in these centers — it just really breaks my heart.”
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Luna views this aspect of his identity as another strength of his as a candidate. “Being queer is a very big part of my life,” he says. “It has taught me a lot of things. It has changed my perspective, the way I think, the way I approach people. I’m more open and accepting. I think that is something that has really happened because I’ve been so accepted within my community.”
Luna is ready to see his district represented by someone who truly cares for it. “I’m the right candidate for District 8 because I’m tired of politicians forgetting about the people they have to represent,” he says. “We need someone who won’t forget about the everyday person.”
What are the top three issues you’re running on?
ICE and immigration, housing, and public safety.
Favorite thing about living in the Midwest?
The weather. I would get bored of just having heat year-round.
Favorite local restaurant?
Taqueria El Cabrito.
One song you have on repeat while on the campaign trail?
“hate that i made you love me” by Ariana Grande.
Go-to coffee order?
I’m very basic and just make coffee at home.
Favorite season?
Fall.
Early bird or night owl?
Early bird. I wake up every day at 5.
TV show you’re watching these days?
I’m a big horror person, so my partner and I, we watch Welcome to Derry.