Democrat Emily Gregory narrowly won the special election for the district Tuesday night, The Associated Press projects. Trump carried the area in 2024.
Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election Tuesday for the Florida state House district that includes Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, flipping the seat from Republican control, The Associated Press projects.
Gregory beat Republican Jon Maples, whom Trump endorsed, in the race for a seat that has been vacant since August, when Mike Caruso resigned from the Legislature and was appointed Palm Beach County clerk.
Gregory had 51% of the vote to 49% for Maples with all precincts reporting.
Democrats have performed well in special elections during Trump’s second term, with the party pointing to those results as a sign of strength ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Florida’s 87th District is the 10th GOP-held state legislative seat Democrats have flipped around the country since Trump took office again last year. Republicans have not flipped any Democratic state legislative seats during that time.
These aren’t Republicans voting Democrat, they are far too brainwashed for that.
What you’re seeing is Republicans staying home & the Independents abandoning the fascist GOP.
I think that’s partially, perhaps mostly, true, but I think a lot of MAGAs are just fed up. He’s going to try to make a case for a third term, and there will be a lot of MAGA resistance. We are at the stage where they are starting to think about a post-Trump MAGA, and he’s starting to be a liability.
Right now, MAGA is a classic cult of personality, and they have to figure out how to transition it into a viable political party with the same blind cult-like loyalty, but without the “personality.”
If they want MAGA to continue beyond his term, and become a viable political party separate from him, they can’t allow it to get so bad that it eventually gets prohibited as a National Security Threat (which should absolutely happen). They will want to mainstream it, and that means avoiding Trump’s worst instincts.
A current example is how he is losing his precious SAVE Act, because his own MAGAs won’t pass it. I’m sure part of it is because it is stupid and short-sighted, but part of it probably because they don’t want to do anything that will make it easier for him to continue in office beyond his term. They’ve had enough.
Yes, hence why they are staying home. They are too brainwashed to break their programming & vote for anyone aside from another GOP scumbag. They will also vote for JD Vance in lockstep in 2028.
The independents however, are done. That’s why you’re seeing huge swings in “blood red” districts in TX & LA. Turns out appeasing the most deplorable 25% of the electorate and screwing over the other 75% after telling them bold-faced lies doesn’t get people to the polls to vote for you.
There are more self-described Independents than either party. Nobody ever wins with just the votes of their base. They HAVE to win the Indy vote, too, and that’s much more difficult. Piss them off, and you’re toast.
Thanks for this. I tend to overthink and dwell too much on politics but this helps. I agree with you but damn it has been an exhausting decade.
Getting Independents wins elections. How it’s always been and how it always will be until we get rid of FPTP.