Democrats flipped a Florida State House seat Tuesday night that comfortably backed President Donald Trump in 2024 and also happens to include his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Democrat Emily Gregory beat Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples in the president’s home seat, which he carried by double digits during his successful reelection run. On the same night, Democrats also flipped a Tampa-based State Senate seat while Republicans held another State House seat in a more rural and conservative part of the state.
Sunshine State voters went to the polls for special elections in one state Senate and two state House districts, which became vacant due to a series of appointments by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (RELATED: Democrats Vying For Trump’s Mar-A-Lago District)
Gregory won 51.1% of the vote to Maples’ 48.9%, with over 95% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. She will succeed former Republican Florida State Rep. Mike Caruso, who resigned from House District 87 in August 2025 after DeSantis appointed him Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Palm Beach County. More than a combined $1 million dollars had been spent between both candidates in the hotly contested special election.
Gregory is a mother of three and Army wife who owns a fitness business for pregnant and postpartum women, according to her campaign website. Her profile on the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee’s website describes her as a “small business owner and public health professional.” The Democrat heavily emphasized affordability and cost of living — issues that have spurred Democratic election victories in recent months — during her successful run for office.
“An Army spouse and mom of three young boys, Emily knows the challenges Florida families face-from rising costs to limited support for working parents,” Gregory’s website states. “She’s ready to bring her experience and values to Tallahassee to fight for a healthier, more affordable Florida where families can thrive.”
US President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago is seen in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)
Maples, a former member of the Lake Clarke Shores Town Council, meanwhile received a last-minute endorsement from Trump himself — a rare feat for a state legislative candidate.
“Jon is a very successful Businessman and Civic Leader, who is known and loved, and also endorsed by so many of my Palm Beach County friends, including by Great State Representative ‘MAGA’ Meg Weinberger. Jon will be a terrific Legislator!” the president wrote on Truth Social late Monday.
Texas Republican Leigh Wambsganss, whom Trump similarly endorsed for a state-level race, lost an early February Texas State Senate special election to a Democrat, also in a seat the president carried by double digits in 2024.
District 87 straddles the Atlantic coast and includes Palm Beach — where Trump’s estate sits — as well as North Palm Beach, South Palm Beach and a portion of West Palm Beach. Trump won it by nearly 11 percentage points in 2024, but carried it by razor-thin margins during his other two runs for the presidency, according to data on Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA).
Mar-a-Lago’s most famous resident won the district, including his club and resort. by just half a percentage point in 2020 and by a mere 33 votes in 2016, per DRA data. It voted for DeSantis by a landslide margin of 16.5 points in the 2022 gubernatorial election but supported his Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum by less than a point four years earlier.
About 200 miles from Palm Beach, a State Senate special election between Democrat Brian Nathan and 30-year-old Republican State Rep. Josie Tomkow remains too close to call, with Nathan narrowly leading. The Tampa-area Senate District 14, which Trump won by over seven points in 2024, was last held by Republican Florida Lt. Gov Jay Collins, whom DeSantis appointed in August 2025.
Republicans held Tomkow’s seat, which Trump won by 13.6 points in 2024, as GOP nominee Hilary Holley easily defeated Democrat Edwin Pérez by an eight-point margin, according to the AP.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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