Democrats Flip Trump’s Palm Beach House District in Special Election
Democrat Emily Gregory defeated Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples. The seat was vacated last August when GOP state Rep. Mike Caruso resigned to become Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller.
RWTNews Staff
PALM BEACH, Fla. – Democrats flipped a Republican-held Florida state House seat in District 87 on March 24, 2026, in a special election that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
Democrat Emily Gregory defeated Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples. The seat was vacated last August when GOP state Rep. Mike Caruso resigned to become Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller.
Trump carried the district by roughly 10 points in his 2024 re-election victory. Caruso had won re-election there by 19 points in 2024.
Gregory, a 40-year-old Army spouse and owner of a Jupiter fitness center for pregnant and postpartum women, ran as a first-time candidate focused on affordability, education, property insurance, housing, and healthcare. Maples, a 43-year-old financial planner and former Lake Clarke Shores council member, emphasized tax cuts, reduced spending and regulations, job creation, and school choice.
The narrow win does not change Republican supermajorities in the Florida House or Senate.