Dem Flips FL Seat in Special Election  03/25 06:22

   

   (AP) -- Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election on Tuesday, 
flipping a state legislative district that is home to Mar-a-Lago, the Palm 
Beach estate that President Donald Trump counts as his residence.

   The president had endorsed Gregory's rival, Jon Maples. In a social media 
post Monday, he urged voters to turn out, saying Maples was backed "by so many 
of my Palm Beach County friends."

   Democrats celebrated the victory as the latest sign voters are turning 
against Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November. 
Tuesday was the latest in a series of lopsided or improbable victories in 
special elections across the country since Trump returned to the White House 
more than a year ago.

   The district was previously represented by Mike Caruso, a Republican who 
resigned to become Palm Beach County's clerk. Caruso won by 19 percentage 
points in 2024.

   "If Mar-a-Lago is vulnerable, imagine what's possible this November," said 
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. 
She said Tuesday's race was the 29th seat that Democrats have flipped from 
Republican control since Trump took office.

   "Gas prices are spiking, grocery costs are up, and families can't get by -- 
it's clear voters at the polls are fed up with Republicans," Williams said.

   With almost all votes counted, Gregory led by 2.4 percentage points, or 797 
votes.

   Gregory grew up north of Palm Beach in Stuart. She's the owner of a fitness 
company that works with pregnant and postpartum women, and she has never run 
for elected office before.

   Speaking to MSNOW after her victory, she said she was "pretty shocked" and 
"having a fairly out-of-body experience."

   Democrats have notched some notable wins in Republican-controlled Florida. 
In December, Eileen Higgins won the race for Miami mayor, the first time a 
Democrat had led the city in nearly three decades. She defeated a 
Trump-endorsed Republican in a campaign that leaned heavily into criticism of 
the president's immigration crackdown, a message that resonated with the city's 
large Hispanic population.

   Farther west in Texas, Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a reliably Republican 
state Senate district in a special election in January.

   Trump immediately distanced himself from the loss in a district he'd won by 
17 points in 2024, saying "I'm not involved in that" even though he had 
endorsed the Republican candidate.

   The Texas race energized Democrats desperate for signs of momentum after 
being locked out of power in Washington.

   But winning in Trump's backyard left them especially ebullient.

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

   Trump voted by mail in the Tuesday election and his ballot was counted, Palm 
Beach County voter records show. He chose a mail ballot despite publicly 
bashing the voting method as a source of fraud and pushing Congress to curtail 
the practice.

   Trump was a New Yorker for most of his life but switched his personal 
residence and voter registration to Florida during his first term. Mar-a-Lago 
has become a gathering place for Trump's friends and allies, as well as 
business executives and foreign leaders looking to curry favor with him. He 
spends many weekends there as president.