Florida's Emily Gregory, a Democrat, defeated Republican Jon Maples who had an endorsement from US president Donald Trump, in a special election in Florida's 87th state house district. Gregory, a public health expert and small business owner, is a first-time candidate and the win did not surprise her. "When I started this nine months ago, I obviously thought it was possible," Gregory told MSNBC on Tuesday night. "I might have done some crazy calculus to decide that this was a flip opportunity, but it was," she later added. "And we did it. So my math worked."
Gregory had 51% of the vote to 49% for Maples with all precincts reporting.
President Trump voted in the race via mail-in ballot though he is not a fan of the main-in voting.
“Mar-a-Lago just flipped red to blue, which should have Republicans sweating the midterms,” Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said on social media. “A Trump +11 district in his own backyard shouldn’t be in play for Democrats, but tonight proves Republicans are vulnerable everywhere.”
State Democrats have flipped 29 districts since Trump’s election, Williams said.
Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee celebrated the victory on X, saying voters had "sent a message".
"If Democrats can win in Trump's backyard, we sure as hell can win anywhere across the country. Onward to November!" Martin wrote.
"This victory reiterates an undeniable trend in Florida: with year round organizing and infrastructure investment, Democrats can run and win anywhere–including Donald Trump’s backyard. Floridians are tired of the chaos, corruption, and sky high prices on everything from groceries, to gas, and healthcare. They are voting for trusted leaders like Emily to steady the ship and return common sense, people-centered solutions back to our communities," Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said.
