A special election in President Donald Trump's own backyard could flip a Florida House district from Republican to Democratic.
The long-anticipated race has Democrat Emily Gregory facing off against Republican Jon Maples in the 87th District, the same district that includes Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, according to The Down Ballot. The district includes the coastline along northern Palm Beach County.
"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," The Down Ballot reported.
"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," according to The Down Ballot.
But when Caruso was the only Republican who voted against the bill, House Speaker Daniel Perez decided "to remove him as chair of a legislative subcommittee and even kick him out of the corner office he occupied."
But DeSantis didn't act after that.
"Sometimes, DeSantis has dragged his feet when doing so would deprive Democrats of representation in safely blue districts. On other occasions, he’s held off when Republicans might lose a seat of their own. Frequently, he’s only acted when forced by litigation," The Down Ballot reported.
And when DeSantis refused to call a special election to fill Caruso's vacancy, which DeSantis has done in the past, Gregory decided to challenge the governor.
"That’s exactly what happened here. Gregory, a first-time candidate who runs a fitness business serving pregnant and postpartum women, had launched a bid to take on Caruso in July, and like Democrats everywhere, she took particular aim at the issue of affordability," according to The Down Ballot.
She didn't want to wait anymore and was frustrated over the lack of representation, so she filed a lawsuit to compel DeSantis to set a date for a special election. Her complaint outlined that more than 45 days had passed since Caruso's appointment without any action.
The election could be an upset for the traditionally Republican-led district.
"That backdrop, combined with Trump’s deep unpopularity and strong Democratic performances in special elections nationwide, is fueling Gregory’s hopes of defeating Maples, a financial planner and former member of the Town Council in Lake Clarke Shores," The Down Ballot reported.
