CNN
By Molly English, Randi Kaye, CNN
(CNN) – Democrat Emily Gregory is projected to win a special state House election in Palm Beach, which includes President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. This adds to the recent successes for Democrats across the country in special elections, as reported by CNN’s Decision Desk.
The election on Tuesday provided a great chance for Democrats in the traditionally red Sunshine State to claim a victory in an area that carries political weight.
Gregory, who is making her first run for office as a business owner and military spouse, is set to defeat Republican Jon Maples. Maples is a former council member from Lake Shores who received Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement” back in January. As of now, she was ahead of Maples by nearly 800 votes.
“When we started this, nobody thought it was possible. They thought we were crazy,” Gregory told her supporters during her election night celebration. “I knew my community. I knew we deserved better. We deserve a leader who will fight for us.”
With this win, Mar-a-Lago will now have representation from three Democrats across the Florida state House, Senate, and US House; however, Republicans still hold overall control of all three chambers. The seat in State House District 87 had been vacant since August last year when former Republican state Rep. Mike Caruso left to become the Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller after winning reelection by 19 percentage points in 2024. Trump won this district by an 11-point margin during the last presidential election.
In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett right after polls closed, Gregory mentioned that Trump wasn’t part of her campaign focus; instead, she concentrated on Maples and “issues that matter most to Florida families.”
“Everyone is feeling that affordability crisis and the last thing that Florida families needed when they’re struggling is $4 gas,” Gregory stated.
She also noted that even though Trump’s presence wasn’t included in her campaign messaging, she would be open to having a conversation with him.
“I would be happy to have a conversation. And you know, all 180,000 residents of District 87 are my priority if I’m so lucky to serve,” Gregory said. “I will put them all with equal weight.”
Some voters in Palm Beach who cast their ballots for Maples were unaware of Trump’s endorsement. For some voters it didn’t make much difference; however one Republican voter named Michelle Hall shared with CNN that she found Trump’s endorsement “fabulous.”
“Anything Donald does, I do,” Hall expressed.
A few voters were surprised to learn that Trump voted by mail in Tuesday’s special election despite his vocal opposition against mail-in voting and efforts to restrict it through the Republican-backed SAVE America Act aimed at ending no-excuse mail-in voting.
“Are you kidding me? I had no idea,” Hall responded when asked about it; she commented that voting by mail “is terrible unless you have a disability, you’re pregnant, you’re in the hospital or you’re military.”
She added on saying “If he’s against something, why are you doing it?”
Olivia Wales from the White House stated that Trump’s voter ID bill “has commonsense exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots for illness, disability, military or travel.”
“As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington DC,” she clarified. “This is a non-story.”
Even though Trump’s influence loomed large over his home district during this race both Gregory and Maples mostly emphasized affordability throughout their campaigns-a topic that’s resonated well with voters during recent elections while Republicans have struggled with it during Trump’s second term.
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. CNN’s Meridith Edwards and Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.
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A New Win for Democrats
Special elections usually see lower turnout rates which makes voter enthusiasm especially impactful-more so than larger elections can provide. This victory from Gregory adds another accomplishment for Democrats following last fall’s success where they flipped over 20 state legislative seats during special or regular elections. This year alone has seen Democrats flip seats across Arkansas, New Hampshire and Texas-where they secured a state Senate district previously favoring Trump by 17 points during his latest presidential run. This story has been updated with additional information. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. CNN’s Meridith Edwards and Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.
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