Florida Democrats on Tuesday flipped control of a long-vacant Republican-held state House seat in a Palm Beach-anchored district that includes Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s home turf.
The Associated Press reports that Democrat Emily Gregory defeated Republican Jon Maples in a special election in Florida’s House District 87, in the race to fill the seat left vacant last August, when GOP state Rep. Mike Caruso resigned to become Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller.
The ballot box battle was one of three special legislative elections being held in GOP-dominated Florida on Tuesday. And while the contests 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.
Maples was backed by Trump, who moved his primary permanent residence in 2019 from Trump Tower in New York City to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He is also backed by a number of top Sunshine State Republicans.
“There is a very important Special Election tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, for Florida State House District 87 in beautiful Palm Beach County — JON MAPLES HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” the president wrote in a social media post on Monday evening.
The 43-year-old Maples, a financial planner and former Lake Clarke Shores Council member who, during his years at Palm Beach Atlantic University was an all-American athlete, made cutting taxes and government spending, reducing regulations, promoting private sector job creation and advancing school choice.
Gregory, a 40-year-old Army spouse, owns and runs a Jupiter-based fitness center for pregnant and postpartum women. The first-time candidate made affordability, increasing public education, tackling rising property insurance and housing costs, and access to healthcare key parts of her campaign.
Maples was the favorite heading into the special election, thanks to his fundraising advantage in a district that leads to the right. Trump carried the district by roughly 10 points in his 2024 re-election victory. And Caruso won re-election in the district by 19 points.
Palm Beach County was once firmly blue until Republicans made electoral gains in recent cycles.
The Democrats’ victory is their latest win or over performance in a slew of special elections and off-year contests since Trump returned to power in the White House 14 months ago.
Partially fueling the Democrats’ ballot box performances is their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation. And the victories are further energizing Democrats as they work to win back control of the US House and possibly the Senate in this autumn’s midterm elections.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC), in a statement Tuesday night, called Gregory’s win “an earthshattering victory for Florida Democrats and humiliating defeat for Donald Trump.”
“Donald Trump’s own neighbors just sent a crystal clear message: They are furious and ready for change,” DNC chair Ken Martin emphasized in a statement. “If Democrats can win in Trump’s own backyard, we can win anywhere. From now until November, Democrats are all gas and no brakes as we compete across every corner of Florida and the nation.”
The Republican National Committee (RNC), in commenting on the results, noted that special elections are not always the best barometer of things to come.
“A low-turnout state House special election is a snapshot of local quirks, candidate dynamics, and turnout math — not some grand verdict.” RNC Senior Adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.
In Florida’s other state House special election, the AP reports that Republican Hilary Holley defeated Democrat Edwin Perez, in the race to replace GOP state Rep. Josie Tomkow. The district covers parts of Polk County, in the central part of the state.
At the time this story posted, the state Senate special election between Tomkow and Democrat Brian Nathan was too close to call. Tomkow and Nathan were running to succeed Republican Jay Collins, who resigned from the seat in August to become the state’s lieutenant governor.
The district includes much of Democrat-leaning Tampa as well as the more GOP-leaning Northwest Hillsborough suburbs.
