Late on Tuesday night the results of the ‘special elections’ were published in the Palm Beach HD87 districtFlorida. Much to the president’s chagrin. Donald Trumpvictory in the place where his Mar-a-Lago mansion is located leaned towards Emily Gregorythe Democratic candidate.
The most surprising thing is not that victory in a demarcation overwhelmingly republicanbut that the president voted by mail, despite his constant but unfounded “fraud” complaints about this system. It is another of the president’s great contradictions.
This same Monday, Trump declared from GracelandElvis’s home museum, that “mail voting means mail fraud.” “We have to do something about it,” he added. Shortly after it was revealed that he was registered in this modality in his district.
The president’s crusade began in the spring of 2020, when he denounced without evidence that postal voting promoted fraud. In his second term, he tried to abolish it, but the United States Constitution does not give the president the power to do so.
In March 2025 he signed a executive order to change federal election rules. Trump has tried several legal and administrative maneuvers in this regard, but most have been paralyzed in the courts.
The winner in Palm Beach
Emily Gregory40 years old, is a public health professional and runs a gymnastics center specialized for pregnant women. In his first candidacy for an election for the state House, he focused on local problems: access to housing, the cost of living and healthcare.
“We have done all the work,” he told the media after learning the results. “We have knocked on every door, we have spoken to voters and I believe that we will succeed in the effort to reverse the trend in a district where Mar-a-Lago included“he added.
Las special elections They are held in the US when it is necessary to replace a member of the local or state House. In this case, a vacancy occurred due to the appointment of a Republican representative of the Florida State House for another public office.
The Democratic victory has a symbolic value: In addition to winning the district where Trump resides, he surpassed his rivals in an intense campaign in which the president offered his full support to the Republican candidate. “Jon is known and loved. He has the support of many of my friends from Palm Beach,” he declared this Monday on his Truth Social network.
Republicans explain the failure by low participation: just over 10% of the census. Although it is usual in this type of election, commentators draw attention to the low mobilization of Trumpist voters.
Gregory’s victory in Palm Beach It is projected to a national dimension: since Trump won the presidential election in November 2024, the Democrats have managed to recover 14 seats in different local or state processes. The Republicans, on the other hand, have not changed the meaning in any case.
The road to the ‘half-term’
This is a symptom that worries analysts at GOP headquarters, the Republican Party. In November they celebrate the Mid-termthe mid-term elections: in the middle of the presidential term, 50% of the Congress and around a third of the Senate are elected.
Today, the Republicans dominate the House of Representatives by a narrow margin and the situation could turn around. Experts warn that the parties in government action suffer wear and tear. To this we must add other factors that can affect the autumn results.
Trump has a solid base, but there are doubts about whether this is the case wide enough to ensure victory in Congress. The evolution of the Iran war, the rising cost of living and some of the broken promises may take their toll. Emily Gregory’s victory is a sign to pay attention to.
If Democrats take back the House in November, may hinder seriously the president’s legislative plans. But that is not the biggest threat: a dangerous period will open in which investigations will be promoted to the Executive.
The scenario of defeat in the Senate is less likely. For control to change hands, Democrats would need secure 60 senators. Otherwise, both forces will have to continue agreeing on the most important legislative changes.
The loss of both Houses would be a catastrophe for the current tenant of the White House. Political commentators are hoping for some reaction to the electoral defeat in their neighborhood, but the Truth Social network is still silent.
Leave a Reply