Democrat wins Florida House seat in Mar-a-Lago district

Democratic Candidate Emily Gregory Wins Special Election for Florida State House Seat

A special election for a Florida state House of Representatives seat has been won by Democratic candidate Emily Gregory, according to projections from the Associated Press. The seat, which includes Mar-a-Lago resort, was previously held by a Republican. Gregory led her opponent, Jon Maples, who received Trump’s endorsement, by 2.4 percentage points.

The election is seen as a sign of shifting voter sentiment in favor of Democrats ahead of the November midterms. Gregory, who has never run for elected office before, won despite being an underdog candidate. She grew up north of Palm Beach and owns a fitness company that works with pregnant and postpartum women.

Gregory’s victory is part of a trend of Democratic gains in recent special elections across the country. Since Trump took office, Democrats have flipped 29 seats from Republican control. Other notable Democratic wins include Eileen Higgins’ election as Miami mayor in December, where she defeated a Trump-endorsed candidate, and Taylor Rehmet’s win in a Texas state Senate district.

Trump voted by mail in the Tuesday election and had his ballot counted, despite publicly criticizing the voting method. The outcome of the election is seen as a significant development for the Republican Party ahead of the midterms.

Source: Al Jazeera