Democrat Dismisses Trump After Winning His District
Democrats have successfully flipped a Florida state House seat blue in the same district where President Trump’s sprawling Mar-a-Lago estate lies.
First-time candidate Emily Gregory defeated Trump-backed Jon Maples—a former council member and self-described “conservative outsider,” by just over two percentage points in a special election for Florida’s 87th district House seat on Tuesday. The victory is a significant development in the deep-red district that Trump seems to spend half of his time in.
“I think it demonstrates where the Florida voter is,” Gregory said to Politico after the victory. “They want someone who is focused on solutions and the issues and not focused on the noise.”
Gregory’s campaign focused more on affordability, housing, and health care, and less on Trump, her most famous constituent, telling MS NOW she doesn’t “think all of that much about it.” She’ll likely run again in the general election in November.
“He’s one of 115,000 registered voters in District 87,” Gregory said. “My opponent made, you know, him forefront in his campaign, and I focused more on the voters in District 87.”
Imagine flipping Donald Trump's home district and then casually brushing off the fact that he is now your constituent. Emily Gregory just pulled off the ultimate political flex focusing on real issues like property insurance instead of the former president. pic.twitter.com/sLHtDEWglQ
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) March 25, 2026
“Floridians are tired of the chaos, corruption, and sky-high prices on everything from groceries to gas and health care,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement. “They are voting for trusted leaders like Emily to steady the ship and return commonsense, people-centered solutions back to our communities.”
With Gregory’s win, Democrats have now flipped over two dozen seats in either fully red or purple states—and are gaining momentum for what will likely be a very successful midterm election in November.