Luke Gulbranson Says Voters Care About Gas Prices, Not Reality TV Past

Luke Gulbranson is brushing off his reality TV past as he dives into politics ... saying voters in Minnesota aren’t checking his IMDb -- they’re checking their wallets.

The “Summer House” alum popped in to "TMZ Live" after he filed to run for Congress in Minnesota’s 8th District … and while plenty of folks recognize him, he says that’s not what matters on the ground.

“A lot of people know who I am,” Gulbranson told us, “but I’ve never lost touch with who I am ... I’m just a kid from the Iron Range.”

Instead of reality TV chatter, Gulbranson says conversations quickly turn to real-life struggles.

“People are suffering with the decisions that are being made,” he says, pointing to rising costs and economic pressure hitting working families.

Gulbranson -- who says he grew up on assistance programs -- made it clear what’s driving his campaign ... and what’s ticking him off.

“They’re making life harder for the people here while they’re giving tax breaks to the top 1% … and that really, really pisses me off,” he said.

As for his TV fame, Gulbranson’s not running from it ... but he’s not campaigning on it either. He tells us he’s using his platform to “make a difference,” but insists voters are focused on kitchen-table issues like gas, groceries and cost of living.

This campaign is about survival costs -- and he’s betting that message hits harder than any Bravo storyline.

Want to hear it straight from Luke? Check out the full interview in the video at the top!