March 24, 2026 — CBS/Associated Press
Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election Tuesday for a Florida state House seat, flipping a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the Associated Press projected. Gregory led by about 2.4 percentage points with nearly all ballots counted — a margin of roughly 797 votes.
Trump had publicly backed Republican Jon Maples and urged supporters to turn out in a Truth Social post, saying Maples was supported by many of his Palm Beach County friends. Public records show Trump cast a mail ballot in the race, despite his frequent criticism of mail voting as ‘mail-in cheating.’
The seat was vacated by Republican Mike Caruso, who resigned to become Palm Beach County clerk after winning the district by 19 points in 2024. Democrats portrayed Gregory’s victory as evidence of voter dissatisfaction with Mr. Trump and the Republican Party.
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the result should alarm Republicans and noted it marks the 29th district Democrats have flipped from GOP control since Trump took office. Williams also cited rising gasoline and grocery costs as factors leaving voters frustrated.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee had said last year it planned to invest millions to flip state legislative seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Over the past 15 years, Democrats have lost roughly 800 state legislative seats, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.