Florida Democrats Flip GOP-Held Seat In Trump's Home District

Democrat Emily Gregory defeated Republican Jon Maples in a special election on Tuesday to represent Florida's 87^th House District, a district in Palm Beach County that includes Mar-a-Lago.

The Vote: Gregory's victory with 51.15 percent of the vote over Maples' 48.85 percent marked the first time a Democrat has won the district this century. The special election was held to fill the seat left vacant by Republican Mike Caruso, who resigned last August to become county clerk and comptroller.

Home District: President Donald Trump, who switched his personal residence and voter registration to Mar-a-Lago during his first term, cast his ballot for Maples by mail. Trump also posted on Truth Social Monday saying "JON MAPLES HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!"

Other Election Wins: Eileen Higgins won Miami's mayoral election last year, marking the first time in nearly three decades a Democrat led the city. Florida also had another state House special election, where Republican Hillary Holley won over Democrat Edwin Perez in a race to replace GOP state Rep. Josie Tomkow. Tomkow left the seat to run for Senate District 14 but was also defeated by Democrat Brian Nathan.

Democrat Reactions: Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said, "Donald Trump's own neighbors just sent a crystal clear message: They are furious and ready for change." Gregory never ran for office before, and said to MS Now (Left bias) that she was "pretty shocked" and "having a fairly out-of-body experience."  

Republican Reactions: The Republican National Committee (RNC) Senior Adviser Danielle Alvarez said, "A low-turnout state House special election is a snapshot of local quirks, candidate dynamics, and turnout math — not some grand verdict."

How The Media Covered It: Some outlets on the left, like the Associated Press (Left) highlighted Democrats celebrating the victory, noting that "winning in Trump's backyard left them especially ebullient." The article also noted Trump casting his vote by mail "despite publicly bashing the voting method as a source of fraud and pushing Congress to curtail the practice." Some outlets on the right, like Fox News (Right), said that while the special election wins in Florida "won't change the balance of power in the state legislature, where for more than a quarter-century Republicans have held majorities in both the House and Senate Chambers, bragging rights were up for grabs in the president's home district." The article also noted the statement from the RNC saying the election wins are "not some grand verdict."  Newsweek (Center) called the Democrat victories "stunning" and "the latest sign that voters are turning against the president and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections."  

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