Democrat Anna Eskamani wins race for Florida House District 47

District 47 has elected its next representative for the Florida House – the state’s first Iranian-American legislator.

Democrat Anna Eskamani won the race for Florida House District 47 with 45,017 votes (57.35%), according to unofficial results – excluding provisional ballots – from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website as of Tuesday night. She defeated Republican Stockton Reeves, who captured 33,483 votes (42.65%).

“I am so honored that the people of Winter Park, Orlando and Belle Isle trust me to serve them in the Florida House,” Eskamani said.

“It’s been a 16-month-long campaign. We launched on July 3, 2017 knowing that the people of this community needed a champion – somebody that was authentic, that was genuine, that listened, that had empathy – and that’s how we led this campaign the whole way. Despite the negativity thrown our way, we shined.”

One of her biggest priorities as the new District 47 Rep. is mental health, Eskamani said.

“We hear the need for mental health across our district – Pulse nightclub is in District 47 and those type of traumatic events lead to a ripple effect of those who are managing trauma,” she said. “Whether it’s our veterans or our first responders or everyday Floridians, mental health is critical and Florida ranks 50 out of 50 on mental health funding. Our priority is to ensure that we can bring that funding up and have those resources be available.”

Other issues that Eskamani mentioned as top priorities in her campaign included protecting the environment, defending public schools, ensuring access to health care and reducing gun violence.

Eskamani said she’s incredibly thankful for all the support she received, and that she looks forward to getting to work in the Florida House.

“This district doesn’t want divisive politics – the district wants integrity and decency, and they picked me as the person to display that and I’m so honored,” Eskamani said.

“Thank you to the incredible voters who chose us overwhelmingly to serve this district. As a first-time candidate, I am so committed to honoring those who support us and also earning the trust of those who didn’t and doing my part to make sure that we truly build a vision for this state that leaves no one behind.”