Democrat Emily Gregory Flips Florida’s 87th District, Toppling Trump-Endorsed GOP Seat

Democrat Emily Gregory secured a victory in a special election for Florida’s 87th state House district on Tuesday, flipping the seat from Republican control. The district notably includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Gregory defeated Republican Jon Maples, who had received an endorsement from Trump. With all precincts reporting, Gregory garnered 51% of the vote compared to Maples’ 49%, a margin of approximately 797 votes or 2.4 percentage points.

The seat had been vacant since August following the resignation of Republican Mike Caruso, who left the Legislature to become Palm Beach County clerk. Caruso had previously won the district by a 19-point margin in 2024. Trump, who carried the district by about 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, voted by mail in the special election—a method he has publicly criticized. Despite his endorsement and campaign efforts urging supporters to vote for Maples, the Republican candidate was unable to retain the seat.

Democrats have highlighted Gregory’s win as part of a broader trend of success in state legislative special elections during Trump’s second term. The Florida 87th District is the 10th GOP-held state legislative seat flipped by Democrats nationwide since Trump’s return to office last year, while Republicans have not flipped any Democratic seats during the same period. Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, emphasized the significance of the victory, stating, “Mar-a-Lago just flipped red to blue, which should have Republicans sweating the midterms.” She pointed to economic concerns such as rising gas and grocery prices as factors influencing voter sentiment.

The special election in Palm Beach County was one of several legislative contests held across Florida on Tuesday. While Gregory’s win marked a Democratic gain, Republican Hilary Holley successfully retained a state House seat in Central Florida. Another race in a Tampa-area state Senate district remained too close to call, with Democrat Brian Nathan leading by less than half a percentage point. These elections come amid Trump’s approval ratings lingering in the high 30s to low 40s, and ongoing public scrutiny of the administration’s handling of the war with Iran, which has dominated media coverage in recent weeks. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried remarked on the outcome, saying, “Democrats can run and win anywhere — including Donald Trump’s backyard.”