Democrats flip Florida seat home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as voters reject his Iran war

Emily Gregory, a Democratic candidate, emerged victorious in Tuesday's special election for a Florida state House seat covering the district that includes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, flipping the seat from Republican control.

Gregory defeated her Republican rival, Jon Maples, who had received Trump's endorsement, in the contest for the vacant seat, which analysts describe as a verdict against Trump.

Trump has faced blistering criticism in the US over his hostile foreign policy and disastrous military interventions, from Venezuela to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

His unprovoked and unjustified war against Iran, which started with the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and some top-ranking political and military officials on February 28, has been widely criticized both in the US and across the world.

The election for a Florida state House seat is the first since Trump launched the aggression against Iran, and the result is indicative of growing frustration of Americans with him and his Republican Party, experts say.

The position had been open since August, when former state Rep. Mike Caruso left the Legislature to take on the role of Palm Beach County clerk.

With all precincts reporting, Gregory secured 51 percent of the vote compared to 49 percent for Maples.

Special elections during Trump's second term have seen a pattern of Democratic success, with the party pointing to the outcomes as indicators of momentum heading into the 2026 midterm elections, where Trump’s party is expected to lose massively.

Florida's 87th District marks the 10th Republican-held state legislative seat that Democrats have flipped nationwide since Trump returned to office last year, while Republicans have yet to flip any Democratic state legislative seats during that same period.

According to The Downballot, a left-leaning political site that tracks special elections, Trump carried the Florida legislative district by approximately 11 percentage points in 2024.

For Democrats, securing a win on Trump's home turf carries heightened symbolic weight.

"Democrats can run and win anywhere — including Donald Trump's backyard," Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said in a joint statement with the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.

Mar-a-Lago has served as the backdrop for several moments of Trump's second term, including the direction of six major wars, most recently the war against Iran.

Democrats at both the state and national levels quickly framed Gregory's victory as evidence of widespread voter dissatisfaction with Trump and Republicans.

"Donald Trump's own neighbors just sent a crystal clear message: They are furious and ready for change," Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said.

"While Trump is partying with his billionaire donors and building gilded ballrooms, Americans are being left behind and raising hell with their votes."

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