On March 24, in a special election in Florida’s 87th district—which includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate—Democrat Emily Gregory won a seat in the Florida House of Representatives, breaking the Republican streak in this Palm Beach district located in southeastern Florida.
Gregory defeated her Republican opponent, Jon Maples, who had received Trump’s endorsement. Trump had urged voters on social media to go to the polls, stating that Maples was supported “by so many of my friends in Palm Beach County.”
This special election was held because Republican Mike Caruso resigned his seat to become county clerk. In 2024, he had won that seat, representing Palm Beach in Tallahassee, by a 19-point margin.
The Associated Press reports that with nearly all votes counted, Gregory led by 2.4 percentage points, or 797 votes.
After her victory, Gregory told MSNOW that she was “pretty shocked” and that she was “having a pretty surreal experience.”
Gregory has never run for office before. The 40-year-old grew up in Stuart, north of Palm Beach. She owns a fitness business catering to pregnant women and new mothers.
Democrats are celebrating her victory. According to Heather Williams, chair of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee: “Mar-a-Lago has just flipped from red to blue, which should have Republicans sweating as the midterm elections approach.” She noted that this was the 29th district that Florida Democrats have taken back from the Republican Party since Trump took office. Ms. Williams added: “Gas prices are skyrocketing, the cost of groceries is rising, and families are struggling to make ends meet—it’s clear that voters are fed up with Republicans.”
Since Trump’s election in 2024, Democrats have won or performed better than their opponents in 90% of key races, according to WLRN.
Emily Gregory’s victory follows that of Eileen Higgins last December, Miami’s new Democratic mayor who defeated the Republican candidate—also backed by Trump—after nearly three decades of Republican leadership.
Last month, in the city of Boca Raton, located in the president’s home county, Democrat Andy Thomson won the mayoral race by a margin of just six votes against a conservative independent. WLRN reports that this is a seat the Democrats haven’t won in over 30 years.
Boca’s incumbent mayor, Scott Singer, is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. House seat currently held by Democrat Jared Moskowitz in the midterm elections this coming November.
In Florida, these elections involve filling 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one seat in the U.S. Senate, to replace former Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who now serves as U.S. Secretary of State. Additionally, the state will elect a governor and members of the state legislature.
Trump voted by mail
According to Palm Beach County election records from the March 24 election, Trump voted by mail and his vote was indeed counted. Yet he criticizes this method of voting, portraying it as a potential source of fraud, and is pressuring Congress to limit its use.
PHOTO By Jud McCranie – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/
