In a shock, a first-time Democratic candidate defeated a Trump-endorsed Republican Tuesday in a Florida state House special election.
And it happened in the Palm Beach district that includes President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, a seat the GOP had won by 19 points just two years ago.
Democrat Emily Gregory, 40, a fitness guru, beat Republican Jon Maples 51% to 48% in House District 87, a narrow margin of just 797 votes. The race drew national attention as a test of Republican strength in the president’s own backyard.
Trump had posted on Truth Social the night before the election urging Republicans to vote for Maples, a financial planner and former Lake Clarke Shores council member.
“There is a very important Special Election tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, for Florida State House District 87 in beautiful Palm Beach County — JON MAPLES HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” Trump wrote. Trump also attended a Saturday event in Florida where he praised Maples and brought him onstage.
Trump won District 87 by a dominate 11 points in the 2024 presidential election. Former Republican state Rep. Mike Caruso, who held the seat before being appointed Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller by Gov. Ron DeSantis last August, had won reelection in 2024 by 19 percentage points.
Florida House Republican Campaign Committee Chair Sam Garrison acknowledged the loss but pointed to depressed Republican turnout as a key factor.
“Jon Maples ran an extremely strong campaign but ultimately came up short,” Garrison said in a statement. “Jon fought valiantly in the face of low Republican turnout due to awkward special election timing, and despicable, dark-money racial attacks from Democrat criminal defense lawyers pretending to be Republicans. I am proud to have Jon as our conservative standard bearer in Palm Beach. Today’s loss stings, but it does not deter him or us. We will learn from today’s results and see you in November.”
The Republican National Committee pointed out that special elections are not always reliable indicators of broader political trends.
“I knew my community,” Gregory boasted at a victory party Tuesday night. “When we started this, nobody thought it was possible. They thought we were crazy.”
Democrats have flipped 29 state legislative from Republican control since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Republicans have not flipped any Democratic state legislative seats during that same period, according to The Downballot, which tracks special elections.
The win also created an awkward footnote for the president. Trump voted by mail in Tuesday’s election — a method he has repeatedly described as a vehicle for fraud. Palm Beach County voter records confirmed his mail ballot was cast and counted.