Democrat flips Florida state House seat in district that includes...

Democrats flipped a Republican-held seat in the Florida state House, with Emily Gregory winning a closely watched special election Tuesday night in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Florida home of Mar-a-Lago, according to the Associated Press. Gregory beat Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples for Florida’s 87th district, which includes Palm Beach. With almost all votes counted, Gregory narrowly led by 2.4 percentage points, or 797 votes, according to the AP. Gregory and Maples competed in the race after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Republican Mike Caruso in August to serve as Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller, leaving Caruso’s House seat vacant. Gregory's victory outperformed expectations in a district that had previously leaned reliably Republican. Caruso had previously won the district by 19 percentage points in 2024. Gregory, a small business-owner, focused her campaign on several policy issues including affordability, public education and affordable health care. Her win could potentially boost momentum for Democrats ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Since the start of Trump's second term, Democrats have flipped several Republican-held districts including ones in Texas and Georgia. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee celebrated the win on Tuesday night. “Mar-a-Lago’s state House district just flipped from red to blue, which should have Republicans worried about their chances this November," DLCC chair Heather Williams said in a statement. "A Trump +11 district in his own backyard shouldn’t be in play for Democrats, but tonight proves Republicans are vulnerable everywhere."