The Democratic Party on Tuesday won a special election in a Florida statehouse race in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, flipping a previously Republican seat.
Victory went to Emily Gregory, a first-time lawmaker with a public health background who runs a fitness center for pregnant and postpartum women.
Gregory told CNN she focused her campaign on kitchen table issues, rather than the president.
“I think my opponent put it front and center, and I focused on the issues that matter most to Florida families,” she said. “Everyone is feeling the affordability crisis and the last thing that Florida families needed when they’re struggling is $4 gas.”
She added that she was “happy” to speak and work with Trump, who is now technically one of her constituents.
President Trump had endorsed her opponent, financial adviser Jon Maples.
The Independent has contacted the Maples campaign for comment.
The Democratic Party called the win an “earth-shattering victory for Florida Democrats,” given that the president won the district by a wide margin in the 2024 presidential election. The party framed the win as a referendum on the wider performance of national Republicans, especially on issues like healthcare, where the GOP has yet to deliver a long-promised replacement for the Affordable Care Act.
“Donald Trump’s own neighbors just sent a crystal clear message: They are furious and ready for change,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “While Trump is partying with his billionaire donors and building gilded ballrooms, Americans are being left behind and raising hell with their votes.”
In an endorsement statement on Truth Social, the president had called Maples a “very successful Businessman and Civic Leader, who is known and loved, and also endorsed by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.”
Trump previously made headlines for voting in the special election by mail, even though he has frequently and baselessly criticized the practice as fraudulent and is pushing to restrict it with his Republican allies in Congress via the SAVE America Act.
Florida Democrats also cheered the win.
“Floridians have made it clear they want real action on the affordability crisis and while Republicans have ignored them, Emily ran a campaign focused on pragmatic solutions to lower costs, raise wages, and build a more affordable state for all working families and seniors that resonated with the people of Palm Beach County,” Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said in a statement. “We look forward to her joining us in Tallahassee as we continue to fight for our affordability agenda to provide Floridians with the relief their hard work has earned.”
The seat in District 87 opened up for a special election after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed its previous occupant, GOP State Representative Mike Caruso, to be a county clerk.
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