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Democrats spent last night on social media dunking on Donald Trump for the fact that he is now represented by a Democrat in the state House.
Which is a big deal! A Democrat named Emily Gregory won a special election for Florida’s state House district 87 — a seat that not only includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate but also voted for the president by 11 points in 2024.
But, to focus solely on the dunking is to miss the forest for the trees. Because not only did Gregory win but Democrats also managed to eke out another special election victory — this time in a state Senate district in the Tampa Bay area that Trump had won by 7 points in 2024.
Of the latter race, Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Floridapolitics.com, tweeted:
And, as Chaz Nuttcyombe, the executive director of State Navigate, put it:
The point here is that these Florida upsets don’t land in a vacuum. They are part of a broader trend — documented by David Nir over at The Downballot.
By Nir’s count, the Florida seats are the 29th and 30th Republican-held state legislative districts to flip to Democrats since Trump became president again in January 2025.
How many Democratic state legislative seats have Republicans flipped in that time? Try zero.
30-0 isn’t just noise. It’s a signal.
There’s something building out in the country folks. How big it will be and whether it lasts all the way until November remains to be seen. But it’s building.
