Meet Emily Gregory, the Democrat Who Flipped Trump’s Mar-a-Lago District

Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election for Florida state House District 87, which includes Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, defeating Republican Jon Maples by 2.4 percentage points (797 votes) in an area Trump carried by double digits in 2024. The first-time candidate, a small business owner and public health professional, ran on local cost-of-living issues and secured 51.2% of the vote despite Trump's last-minute endorsement of Maples. Gregory will now serve as Trump's state representative and has pledged to oppose mid-cycle redistricting that she says the President is pushing Republicans to pursue ahead of November's midterms. The victory marks another Democratic overperformance in special elections and comes as Trump's approval rating has dropped to 36% according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Gregory said she will work equally for all constituents in the district and frame her focus on lowering property insurance, expanding healthcare, and strengthening public schools rather than national politics.