Emily Gregory\u2019s victory in the previously GOP-held district is the latest Democratic upset before the November midterms.<\/p>\n
Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
Democratic candidate Emily Gregory is projected to win a special election for a Florida state House of Representatives seat that includes United States President Donald Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort, in the latest sign of strain for Trump\u2019s Republican Party.<\/p>\n
With almost all votes counted from the Tuesday election, Gregory led her Trump-endorsed opponent Jon Maples by 2.4 percentage points, reported the AP news agency.<\/p>\n
Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n
Democrats hailed the victory in the previously Republican-controlled House District 87 as a sign voters are turning against Republicans and Trump before November\u2019s midterm elections<\/a>. Democrats registered electoral gains<\/a> in the November 2025 gubernatorial and mayoral elections, with the cost of living cited as a major issue on people\u2019s minds.<\/p>\n The US decision to join Israel in attacking Iran has driven up oil and gas prices, putting further inflationary pressures on Americans.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Mar-a-Lago is vulnerable, imagine what\u2019s possible this November,\u201d said Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. She said Tuesday\u2019s race was the 29th seat that Democrats have flipped from Republican control since Trump took office.<\/p>\n \u201cGas prices are spiking, grocery costs are up, and families can\u2019t get by \u2013 it\u2019s clear voters at the polls are fed up with Republicans,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n Gregory grew up north of Palm Beach in Stuart. She\u2019s the owner of a fitness company that works with pregnant and postpartum women, and she has never run for elected office before.<\/p>\n Speaking to MSNOW after her victory, she said she was \u201cpretty shocked\u201d and \u201chaving a fairly out-of-body experience\u201d.<\/p>\n