Rep. Anna Eskamani, a legislator from Orlando currently running for reelection in HD 47, acknowledged Thursday that she may be a Yes-kamani when it comes to a running for higher office.
“It’s not something I ever thought of when I was growing up, but I also never thought I would ever run for the Florida House, and build a statewide movement around transparent, authentic, and transformational leadership,” Eskamani told Florida Politics Thursday.
“The energy around me running for Governor is 100% organic and built from the ground up— ignoring it would be ignoring thousands of Floridians who believe in me and it would be a disservice to the people of Florida if I did not take this opportunity seriously.”
An email to supporters from her AnnaForFlorida.com political account suggested enthusiasm for her potential campaign coursed upwards from the grass roots.
Eskamani described a “Facebook group called Draft Anna Eskamani for FL Governor 2022 that was created by advocates from across the state.”
She noted the cohort is “now up to nearly 4,000 members.”
But it’s not just Facebook buzz.
“Earlier this month, both the Tampa Bay Times and the Tallahassee Democrat mentioned me as a potential gubernatorial candidate, too,” Eskamani said.
“The buzz around our potential candidacy has even led to Floridians creating mock logos for us.”
“Now, we’ve obviously got to focus on winning our re-election in 2020 and flipping Florida for Vice President Joe Biden. But being mentioned alongside other potential 2022 gubernatorial candidates is not something I ever expected. It’s incredibly humbling, and is only happening because of the energy so many of you have built around me and our movement. I’m focused on the next three months ahead of us. But I’m excited and hopeful for what lies beyond.”
Eskamani will face a general election against one of two lightly-funded Republicans in November. For local voters, this may be their last opportunity to send her to the House.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 6, 2020.
