Anna Eskamani files to run for Orlando Mayor

State Rep. Anna Eskamani will run for Orlando Mayor in 2027. The Orlando Democrat, one of the most outspoken progressives in the Legislature, announced her run on Bluesky.

“Orlando, this morning, I will be filing to run as your next Mayor,” she posted. “I am honored for the opportunity to lead our incredible City Beautiful into the future!”

Eskamani held a press conference outside City Hall announcing her campaign.

“Running for Mayor of my hometown is the honor of a lifetime,” she said. “Orlando is where I grew up, went to school, and started my first job. It’s where my working-class immigrant parents saw an opportunity for their children and where I discovered my purpose after losing my mom to cancer at just 13 years old.

“In 2027, Orlando faces a pivotal moment. And with so much uncertainty at the national level, we need a people-centered leader with the courage to challenge the status quo and the vision to deliver bold, creative solutions to address our community’s everyday challenges — from homelessness and public safety to small business support and affordability. These issues are complex, but through grit, grace, and a relentless work ethic, I know I am the leader Orlando needs to move us forward into the future.”

She notably touted a legislative record including some bipartisan successes, including a sales tax exemption on diapers embraced and signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. She stressed a need for more tax breaks for consumers.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer won election in 2023 to a seventh term, and made clear this term will likely be his last.

Eskamani, meanwhile, won election to a fourth term in the Florida House in November. Term limits prohibit her from running for another consecutive term.

Eskamani initially won a seat in the House by flipping an open district that had previously been represented by a Republican. She won 57% of the vote in 2018, the last election cycle when Democrats gained seats in the House.

Since then, she has won by decisive margins while facing Republican opposition every cycle. In November, she won nearly 59% of the vote against Republican Gregory Pull.

She has been rumored as a candidate for various higher offices through the years, including for Florida Senate, Congress and Governor. But close allies ultimately filled some of the most obvious other legislative seats, with state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat, winning election to an open seat in the upper chamber this year. U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat and the youngest member of Congress, was also elected to a second term.

But Eskamani has long been suspected of having her eyes on City Hall once Dyer’s time in office was done.

Both Frost and Smith immediately endorsed Eskamani’s campaign for Mayor.

“There is hope for our future in Orlando with MAYOR Anna V. Eskamani!” Smith posted on X. “Let’s do this.”

Eskamani also announced endorsements from State Attorney Monique Worrell, state Reps. LaVon Bracy Davis and Johanna Lopez, Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph, Orange County Commissioner Kelly Semrad, Orange County School Board member Stephanie Vanos, former state Sen. Victor Torres and recent state Senate candidate Carmen Torres.

Dyer notably also served in the Legislature before running for Mayor. The Democrat served in the Florida Senate from 1992 to 2002, rising to the position of Minority Leader.