Republican Jon Maples won the Florida House District 87 seat on Tuesday, defeating Democratic Rep. Emily Gregory by about 1.5 percentage points. The district covers parts of northern and coastal Palm Beach County.
Unofficial results from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections showed Maples with 38,704 votes, or 50.69 percent. Gregory received 37,655 votes, or 49.31 percent.
Gregory thanked supporters in a statement, saying she was proud of what the campaign had accomplished and calling the district’s flip to Democrats in the March 24 special election historic. She won that special election by 797 votes and finished the remaining months of the term of Republican Mike Caruso, the former representative. In a video message, she said 50 Democrats were heading back to Tallahassee.
Maples said in a statement Wednesday night that the win was humbling and thanked voters who turned out. He said he planned to record a thank-you video later.
The district includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, which drew attention to the race. Maples will take the seat after the November vote is certified.
