Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) issued his State of the State address this week to a lukewarm reception from Democrats. While State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) issued a video rebuttal, Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D) has denounced the address as the “State of the Loser address.”
During a press release, Rep. Eskamani called Governor DeSantis’ address the “State of the Loser address,” disregarding it as an attempt for him to appeal to a conservative base that has rejected him and his presidential campaign. Moreover, the Florida Democrat expressed that Governor DeSantis is not going to win Iowa.
On social media, Rep. Eskamani continued her criticism of Governor DeSantis by releasing a statement.
Governor DeSantis shared in his speech that “the state of our state is strong,” calling on House Republicans to “keep doing what works.” However, despite his comments marking the beginning of Florida’s annual 60—day legislative session, Democrats have aggressively pushed back against Governor DeSantis.
Rep. Eskamani commented in her statement that “that was not a State of the State address.” Instead, she clarified that “that was Governor DeSantis’ State of this Campaign Address and it is on life support.”
Going on to criticize the speech as “a hyper partisan and hyper political speech in the House Chamber,” the Florida Democrat noted her disappointment in “the Governor’s constant use of divisive language and his inability to provide meaningful policy solutions to some of our biggest challenges like property insurance and severe storms.”
She further vowed to “continue to fight for our fellow Floridians and campaign a state where every person has the freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe.”
Earlier this week, Governor DeSantis released a scathing review of the House’s bipartisan deal, calling the House sellouts. Governor DeSantis is vying for the Republican presidential nomination, but the road to overtaking his challengers has been a difficult one. At one point, Governor DeSantis was seen as an alternative to President Donald Trump (R), but political pundits have argued that Governor DeSantis has disappointed in his presidential campaign showing.
