Orlando-area women who flipped Florida House seats
The bulk of Orange County is now represented in Tallahassee by women — including three Democrats who flipped seats in November.
Orange County was part of a nationwide movement of women running — and winning — public office. In addition to the state House of Representatives victories, Central Florida voters reelected Democrat Stephanie Murphy to Congress, and elected new faces ensuring all-women representation on the Orange County Commission and School Board.
In November, voters in West Orange County returned Geraldine Thompson, an African American civil rights leader, to Tallahassee. With her victory she became the first woman, the first person of color and the first Democrat to represent the district that includes Walt Disney World, Winter Garden and Dr. Phillips.
Elsewhere in Orange County, Joy Goff-Marcil, a wills and probate attorney who sat on the Maitland City Council, won election over Republican Bob Cortes in the district splitting Orange and Seminole counties. And in an intense race downtown, Democrat Anna Eskamani, a strategic analyst for NEO Philanthropy, became the first Iranian-American elected to the Legislature.
Their victories were welcome news to local Democrats, who were thrilled to cut into the Republican majority in Tallahassee and also in choosing women of vastly different backgrounds.
“That’s what’s wonderful,” former Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin said. “I love the fact that we elected three women to the state Legislature from Central Florida that are very different. That’s a good sign.”
Geraldine Thompson
Lacking major financial backing from the Democratic Party, Thompson earned a wide range
of support from the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida and across the aisle to Republican former Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd.
Thompson, the founder of the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture, credited her record from her prior tenure as both a state senator and representative and her work fighting for civil rights and her push to exonerate the Groveland Four — young black men wrongly accused of raping a 17-year-old white woman — for her gaining support.
All of that helped her overcome being outspent by about 3-1 in her race against incumbent Republican Bobby Olszewski.
“I have cross-cultural ties in the community,” said Thompson, 70. “Republicans want competence. If they see competence in a Democrat, they’re willing to give that person an opportunity.”
Prior to her political career, she was an Orange County teacher and later an administrator at Valencia College.
She said her victory is a sign of “what is achievable if you have fair districts,” which is an issue she’s championed, and also a sign to Democrats that seats can be gained in Tallahassee if the party commits resources and worries less about demographics.
In her return to the Legislature, Thompson said she’s been tapped to lead Democrats’ efforts for election reform.
She previously sponsored legislation allowing voters to cast ballots by mail but said more changes are needed after voting issues marred this most recent cycle.
She said perhaps it makes sense to require voters to provide the last four digits of their Social Security number instead of signatures or allowing mail-in ballots to be postmarked for Election Day.
“There’s a lot that needs to be done,” Thompson said. “I’ve had a long interest in making sure that as many people as possible can participate in the Democratic process.”
Joy Goff-Marcil
Prior to being sworn in last week, Goff-Marcil had never made it past the Capitol steps, despite attending Florida State University down the street.
But inside the chambers, it was lawmakers’ efforts to preempt local government’s authority on tree canopies, short-term vacation rentals and special taxing districts that convinced her to
As vice-mayor in Maitland, a city partially known for its sprawling oaks, she grew tired of being usurped by state officials in making local decisions.
“That kind of thing was frustrating on the local level,” she said. “I got frustrated and I was complaining, and I thought I need to stop complaining and do something.”
Goff-Marcil, 50, has had political aspirations for years — dating back to her father’s work on former congressman Claude Pepper’s campaign. Her father, Curtis Goff, even mounted a bid of his own for the same district Goff-Marcil won.
As a teen she worked as a congressional page and later interned for Pepper when she was in college.
In November, she narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Bob Cortes, a former Longwood mayor.
She works as an attorney, specializing in wills and probate issues, and is the mother of three.
Besides home-rule issues, Goff-Marcil said she was concerned about funding for public education, as legislators have shifted founding toward private voucher and charter schools. She also was alarmed by a recent deal allowing sugar farmers to use lands set aside for restoring the Everglades.
In the House, she said she hopes Republicans and Democrats will be able to see eye-to-eye on some issues similar to how they do in local governments.
“We need to somehow take the way that people work together on the local level, and take that to the state,” she said. leap into state politics.
Anna Eskamani
Money squirreled away to one day buy a home was re-purposed for a run for office as Eskamani’s frustration with state and federal politics grew.
After working for six years at Planned Parenthood, often frequenting Tallahassee to advocate for access to abortions, the progressive decided to run for office and launched her campaign in a district that was growing bluer but had been represented by a Republican for four years.
“I never thought I would ever do this,” Eskamani said. “I was so happy and content being where I was as an advocate.”
Her campaign quickly grew with a plethora of yard signs and a small army of volunteers, and also racked up among the highest totals of campaign contributions in the region. It also garnered international attention, including in Iran, where she was featured by news outlets.
Post-election, she launched an online merchandising store with earnings going toward her reelection and is working to set up her office.
“We’re going to be delivering the best constituent services the district has ever seen,” Eskamani said, adding she already had reached out to the state Department of Transportation seeking road safety solutions for Orange Avenue in Winter Park.
She said she’s reviewing legislation pertaining to affordable housing, mentalhealth funding and environmental protection — issues she sees as bipartisan where common ground can be found with House Republicans.
She’s also co-sponsoring a bill that would mandate Constitutional Revision Committee proposals pertain to a single subject after this year’s ballot featured bundled items of unrelated measures.
Eskamani, 28, also said she’ll continue to fight for issues such as Medicaid expansion and women’s issues in a state that ranks 35th for women’s health and well being, according to a study by the Florida Philanthropic Network.
“There are going to be fights on the ground,” Eskamani said. “I am a fighter. This district elected me knowing that.” For more information, call 850-921-7529 or visit flalottery.com
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