Democrat Emily Gregory just pulled off a shocking victory in a special election for a Florida state House district, flipping the seat from Republican control, as reported by NBC News. This win is especially wild because the district includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, making it a huge symbolic win for Democrats.
Gregory managed to beat Republican Jon Maples, who was actually endorsed by President Trump himself. The seat had been vacant since August, after Mike Caruso resigned to become Palm Beach County clerk. When all the precincts reported, Gregory secured 51% of the vote, narrowly edging out Maples, who finished with 49%.
This victory is a big deal for Democrats, who are pointing to these kinds of special election results as a sign of strength heading into the 2026 midterm elections. This particular Florida district is the tenth state legislative seat previously held by the GOP that Democrats have managed to flip around the country since President Trump took office again last year. Republicans, on the other hand, haven’t flipped any Democratic state legislative seats during that same period.
What makes this win even more impressive is the district’s history
President Trump actually carried this Florida legislative district by about 11 percentage points in 2024, so it wasn’t exactly a slam dunk for a Democrat. Winning right on President Trump’s literal home turf carries some serious special significance for Democrats, and they’re definitely making the most of it. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried put it clearly in a joint statement, saying, “Democrats can run and win anywhere — including Donald Trump’s backyard.”
President Trump was pretty involved in the race, casting a ballot in the special election and backing Maples, a former council member in Lake Clarke Shores, in both the primary and general elections. He even urged his followers on X to turn out and vote for Maples. Gregory, a business owner, was running for office for the very first time. Her campaign really focused on rising costs, promising to tackle the issue if she was elected. Maples, meanwhile, touted his business experience and pledged to cut taxes.
Mar-a-Lago itself has been the backdrop for some pretty significant events during President Trump’s second term. It’s where six major military actions have been directed from, with the most recent being the start of the war with Iran.
This Palm Beach County race was one of three legislative special elections happening across Florida. There was also a fourth seat decided by default because the Republican candidate ran unopposed. One of the other races is still incredibly close: Democrat Brian Nathan is currently leading Republican Josie Tomkow by less than half a percentage point in a Tampa-area state Senate district that the GOP previously held. Elsewhere, Republican Hilary Holley managed to hold onto a state House seat in Central Florida for her party.
These special elections are taking place while President Trump’s approval rating sits in the high 30s to low 40s in most public polling, which has definitely influenced elections across the U.S. over the past year. Plus, Americans have largely taken a pretty dim view of the war with Iran in public polling, especially since it’s been dominating media coverage of the Trump administration for about a month now.
Published: Mar 25, 2026 02:00 pm