MIAMI- A Florida congressional candidate is standing by her claims she was abducted to an alien spaceship at age 7 but that the incident shouldn't detract from what she's done on Earth since then.

  

Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera spoke to The Associated Press on Monday. She has claimed in past Spanish TV network appearances as recently as 2011 that she was taken aboard a ship with three blonde creatures that resembled Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue.

  

Since those television appearances, Rodriguez Aguilera has served as a council member in the city of Doral, where she was appointed vice mayor. She also teaches leadership at Miami Dade College and runs a consulting firm. She is running to replace Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., when she retires at the end of next year.