Florida special election: House seat that includes Mar-a-Lago is up for grabs

 

None of the recent elections in this district have been within the 15-percentage-point margin, but we can keep our fingers crossed.

Election results:  Ballotpedia

Headline:  The Downballot, 2/18/2026

David Nir and Jeff Singer report:

A long-awaited special election will finally take place next month in a Florida House district that’s home to none other than Donald Trump’s seaside lair of Mar-a-Lago. 

The contest pits Democrat Emily Gregory against Republican Jon Maples for the vacant 87th District, which runs along the coast of much of northern Palm Beach County. Near the center of the region’s distinctive barrier island sits Trump’s private resort, which earned its name because it stretches from the ocean on the east to the lagoon on the west. 

The unusual race for this slice of the South Florida beachfront was both caused by and delayed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed state Rep. Mike Caruso as Palm Beach County clerk to fill a vacancy last August. 

DeSantis rewarded Caruso after a messy internecine fight in the legislature a year ago over legislation designed to turbocharge Trump’s deportation agenda that the governor supported. Lawmakers, unhappy at being bullied by DeSantis once again, responded by passing their own bill and unsubtly called it the TRUMP Act.

The special elections takes place on March 24, 2026.

Other panic-inducing GOP special elections:

2026

Republicans get whomped in Texas State Senate special election in red Fort Worth area district.  (2/1)

August-November 2025
Tennessee GOP panics over CD7 special election on December 2nd.  (11/24)

Tennessee 7th congressional district:  Republicans freaking out over another possible special election loss.  (11/17) 

Despite a shrinkage of registered voters, Iowa Democrats have enjoyed a good year in 2025.  (11/12)

Democratic candidate expands margin of victory in deep-blue VIrginia congressional district.  (9/10)

If the Democratic Party brand is in the toilet, where does that put the Republican Party?  (8/2)

January-April 2025

As we have recently learned, a 15-point margin of victory is no longer safe for the GOP.  (4/9)

Democrat Josh Weil cuts GOP margin of victory from 33 to 13.7 percentage points in deep-red Florida congressional district previously represented by Signalgate star performer Michael Waltz.  (4/2)

Democrat Gay Valimont cuts GOP margin of victory from 32 to 14.6 percentage points in deep-red Florida congressional district previously represented by Matt Gaetz.  (4/2)

Wisconsin elections:  What a difference 5 months and the road to authoritarianism makes!  (4/2)

Staying power? In Wisconsin, Donald Trump reveals a limp dick.  (4/2)

Keep an eye out on this special election in Florida.  It will tell us just how toxic Trump/Musk/DOGE has become to voters.  (3/30)

Democrat flips a state senate seat in a deep-red area of Pennsylvania.  (3/26)

Democrat flips state senate seat in increasingly red Iowa.  (1/29)