After her surprise victory in Florida’s District 87 special election, Democrat Emily Gregory said she is excited to represent all constituents in Tallahassee, including President Donald Trump. Gregory, who captured the seat anchored by Palm Beach, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she wants Trump to be able to reach her directly now that she is the district’s state representative.
Gregory’s win hinged on a district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, giving Democrats an unusual political reversal in a year shaping up as a referendum on Trump’s second term. The AP described Gregory as a 40-year-old first-time candidate who owns a local fitness company for pregnant and postpartum women, defeating Republican Jon Maples, a candidate Trump endorsed.
Gregory, speaking to the AP, said she would be open to dialogue with the president. “I would love to have a conversation,” she told the AP. “He’s welcome to call me, as I am his new state representative.” She said she did not view herself primarily as an opposition leader, describing herself instead as someone “embedded in my community” and “very representative of District 87,” rather than focused on opposing Trump as a central campaign theme.
In outlining what she plans to pursue, Gregory pointed to economic pressures faced in the hurricane-prone district. She told the AP she focused her campaign on constituents’ concerns including rising insurance costs, as well as groceries and gas. Gregory said she would seek Tallahassee proposals to limit insurance rate hikes, expand health care access, support public education, and lift what she called “huge, crushing burdens on the average Florida family.”
Gregory said the election came with an added deadline because she is expected to be sworn in before a special legislative session beginning April 20. She said that session would be used to redraw Florida’s congressional map, which she described as a Republican initiative intended to bolster the party’s chances of holding a thin majority in the U.S. House. Gregory said she plans to oppose that effort, calling it a “complete power grab” driven by “the president’s call to gerrymander in favor of Republicans.”
For the Democrats celebrating the result, Florida’s party leadership framed the win as evidence that the political environment is shifting. Nikki Fried, Florida’s Democratic chairwoman, told reporters that the “pendulum swings in both directions” and that “If we can win in Donald Trump’s backyard, we can win anywhere.” Fried said the victories showed Democrats could capitalize as the race landscape tightens, and she praised Gregory and another party candidate, Brian Nathan, ahead of a separate state senate contest in the Tampa area.
Fried said Tuesday’s results followed other special elections involving Florida Democrats, including two congressional special elections in 2025 in which Democrats lost but narrowed usual margins in heavily Republican districts. Fried also argued Republicans were overspending and that “It’s not working,” as she described the current cycle. Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly said Wednesday that the results demonstrated an upswing for Democrats if candidates focus on the economy.
On the Republican side, Evan Power, Florida’s Republican chairman, did not return a message seeking comment, and the AP reported that Trump said nothing Wednesday about the race. The AP also reported that Trump endorsed Gregory’s opponent, Jon Maples, and cast a mail ballot, and that Trump reiterated support for Maples the eve of the election with a social media post addressed to “ALL GREAT PATRIOTS.”
Gregory also signaled that she intends to campaign and work broadly in her new role, including for Trump. “I will work as hard for every single one of 180,000 constituents in District 87,” she said, adding that she would not “elevate anyone over the rest.” For her, the special election’s national attention appears to be a rapid introduction to Florida politics, tied closely to the costs voters say they feel daily.