Florida Democrats Tuesday flipped a Republican-leaning statehouse seat that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and which he had won by double digits just 16 months ago.
First-time candidate Emily Gregory defeated Jon Maples, a former commissioner of an area town who did not live in the district heading into the election, but who won Trump’s endorsement even before the January primary.
“JON MAPLES HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” Trump posted again on social media Monday evening, even including a link to a website to help Republicans find their polling locations.
It was not enough. Gregory won the votes cast by mail and in early in-person voting by 3,000 votes, enough to hold off the 2,200-margin that Maples won with votes cast on Tuesday.
Florida Democrats also appeared to flip a state Senate in the Tampa area by about 500 votes.
