It’s been nearly 14 years since the Orlando Sentinel first introduced its readers to a UCF student just a few days shy of her 21st birthday — and absolutely incensed by the possibility that Orlando’s public television station might shut down. Since that first appearance, Orange County residents have learned that Anna V. Eskamani has a lot of opinions and the fire to make them reality.
Locals watched her grow into one of Florida’s most recognized (and nearly universally liked) politicians: After working as an advocate for Planned Parenthood, she first ran for the Florida House in 2018 and hasn’t lost an election since. It’s been an uphill battle at times, since Republicans have controlled the House throughout her tenure. But Eskamani has mastered the art of minority, alternatively shaming and cajoling her GOP colleagues into tweaks to some of their most onerous policies — and, as Ron DeSantis tightened his grip on the Legislature, providing a strong and effective voice of dissent that fueled pushback across Florida.
That doesn’t stop her from advocating for her constituents — all of them, including those whose politics differ sharply from her own. In an interview with the editorial board, Eskamani told us that many families who took advantage of Florida’s private-school voucher programs (which legislatively, she opposed) are coming to her office with complaints about delays in processing — and of course, Eskamani is helping them. It’s what she does. During the early months of COVID, she became known statewide as a legislator who was ready to do battle with Florida’s thoroughly broken unemployment system — for any Floridian — but her District 42 constituents already knew how much energy she put into helping them navigate the bureaucracy of state government.
She’s also landed millions of dollars in funding for a wide range of local priorities, including flood projects, mental-health programs and cultural grants. When Gov. Ron DeSantis axed the entire arts and culture project list earlier this year, she was one of the sharpest voices of dissent, pointing out the economic damage that would spill over into the private sector.
Eskamani is now running for her fourth and final term in the House. Many were surprised when, on the last day of qualifying, she drew an opponent — Realtor/property manager Greg Pull, a Republican. We’re still not sure exactly why Pull decided to run; his campaign site includes only bland generalities and captionless photos, and recent posts on his Facebook campaign page are mostly concerned with real-estate transactions. He declined to meet with the editorial board and doesn’t seem to be making many appearances. The state Republican party has put the bare minimum of support to his campaign — and still is responsible for more than half the funds he’s collected. We can’t help but wonder if he’s in this race merely to boost his business profile.
Even if he were acting like a serious candidate, Pull would have a hard time outshining Eskamani, whose re-election is seen as inevitable for all the right reasons. She cares. She works hard. And she knows what she’s talking about. District 42 voters can have her for one more term, and they should be happy to take her up on that.
We urge voters to not rely solely on our opinions in deciding how to cast a vote. Voters should check the candidates’ campaign websites and social media accounts (if they don’t have either, that should be a red flag). Ask friends and neighbors what they think. Google the candidates and check out their campaign finances. In addition, we’ve recorded our interviews and posted them in full at OrlandoSentinel.com/opinion .
Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Insight Editor Jay Reddick and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Send emails to insight@orlandosentinel.com .
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