ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — After a surprise victory in a Florida special election, Emily Gregory said she's excited to represent all of her constituents — and that includes President Donald Trump.
“I would love to have a conversation,” the Democrat told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “He’s welcome to call me, as I am his new state representative.”
The president’s Mar-a-Lago resort is part of Gregory’s district, which is anchored by Palm Beach. Although state legislative races rarely get the national spotlight, Democrats across the country were positively euphoric at the irony of their Republican nemesis being represented by one of their own.
Gregory's victory is the latest example of how Democrats have flipped seats in a series of special elections that could be a sign of momentum in a midterm election year that will provide a political verdict on Trump’s second term.
Here was a 40-year-old first-time candidate who owns a local fitness company for pregnant and postpartum women defeating a Republican whom Trump had endorsed by saying he was backed “by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.”
Gregory's win was especially sweet for Florida Democrats, who have been beaten down by years of Republican domination in what was once the consummate battleground state. Democrats are also hopeful that Brian Nathan will win a state senate seat in the Tampa area; the AP has not yet called that race but he currently has a narrow lead that is within the state’s automatic recount range.
“The pendulum swings in both directions,” Florida Democratic Chairwoman Nikki Fried told reporters. “Last night it swung hard in the state of Florida."
She added, "If we can win in Donald Trump’s backyard, we can win anywhere.”
Florida Republican Chairman Evan Power did not return a message seeking comment. Trump said nothing Wednesday about the race.
For Gregory, it has been a stunning introduction to the national spotlight.
“I believed in myself the whole time,” Gregory said, describing her political “naiveté” about the district and its conservative leanings as an asset. She was elected to finish the term of Mike Caruso, a Republican who resigned to become Palm Beach County’s clerk, and she would need to run again in November if she wants to keep the seat.
Gregory told the AP she did not make her contest about the president specifically, focusing instead on constituents’ concerns involving the economy and everyday costs — from fast-rising insurance in the hurricane-prone district to groceries and gas.
She described herself as a lifelong “proud Florida Democrat” but said she did not view herself as a Trump opposition leader. She said she will go to Tallahassee focused on proposals to limit insurance rate hikes, expand health care access, support public education and lift “huge, crushing burdens on the average Florida family.”
“I just see myself as very embedded in my community, very representative of District 87,” she said. “And I’m so humbled and proud to be their representative.”
Gregory expects to be sworn in before a special legislative session that begins April 20 to redraw the state's congressional map. It's a Republican initiative intended to boost the party's chances to hold onto its thin majority in the U.S. House, and Gregory said she plans to oppose the effort.
She described the session as a “complete power grab” resulting from “the president's call to gerrymander in favor of Republicans.”
Trump endorsed Gregory’s opponent, Jon Maples, and cast a mail ballot in the contest. The president reiterated his support for Maples on the eve of the election with a social media post addressed to “ALL GREAT PATRIOTS.”
Fried praised Gregory and Nathan, a 45-year-old veteran and union worker, as quality candidates who could capitalize on the broader political environment.
“The type of person and connection on the issues matters,” Fried said.
Gregory flipped a seat that her Republican predecessor had won by 19 percentage points. Fried said Trump carried the district by 11 points in 2024.
Republicans still dominate the Florida Legislature, and they have been considered heavy favorites to hold the governor’s office in November, four years after Gov. Ron DeSantis won a blowout reelection campaign.
But Fried and other Democrats insisted the trends suggest a competitive landscape. She noted that Tuesday's victories followed two congressional special elections in 2025 when Florida Democrats lost but dramatically narrowed the usual margins in heavily Republican districts.
“You've seen tremendous overspending by Republicans,” Fried said of the current cycle. “It's not working.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly said Wednesday the results demonstrate an upswing for the party as long as candidates address the economy.
“Change is here,” said Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties. “Voters are giving us an opportunity in Florida that they haven’t given us in years.”
A spokesman for Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, whom Trump has endorsed for Florida governor, took at least some notice of the latest results.
“We constantly assess how we execute our strategy — that’s just good campaigns,” said Ryan Smith, Donalds' chief campaign strategist. “What won’t change is our mission: President Trump endorsed Byron Donalds to deliver real results and defend the Florida Dream, and that’s what voters can expect to see from us.”
Gregory, meanwhile, said she's ready to get to work, including for Trump.
“I will work as hard for every single one of 180,000 constituents in District 87,” she said, “and not elevate anyone over the rest.”
Barrow reported from Atlanta.
President Donald Trump speaks during the swearing in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - An aerial view of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
In this screenshot taken from video Florida State Rep.-elect Emily Gregory speaks with the Associated Press from Palm Beach, Florida, about her special election win where she flipped a district that is home to President Donald Trump's estate, Mar-a-Lago, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire.
Iran's defiance came as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and as the United States deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war, "and we do not plan on any negotiations.” That followed a report from Iranian state TV's English-language broadcaster quoting an anonymous official as saying Iran rejected America’s ceasefire proposal and has its own demands to end the fighting.
Earlier, two officials from Pakistan, which transmitted the U.S. plan to Iran, described the 15-point proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.
An Egyptian official involved in the mediation efforts said the proposal also includes restrictions on Iran’s support for armed groups. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet released.
President Donald Trump, speaking at a fundraiser Wednesday night in Washington, insisted that Iran still wants to cut a deal.
“They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people,” said Trump, who added: “They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us."
Iran has long insisted it won’t discuss its ballistic missile program or its support of regional militias, which it views as key to its security. And its ability to control passage through the Strait of Hormuz represents one of its biggest strategic advantages.
Iran’s attacks on regional energy infrastructure, along with its restrictions on the strait, have sent oil prices skyrocketing, putting pressure on the U.S. to find a way to end the chokehold and calm markets.
At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to the Mideast in the coming days, three people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
The paratroopers are trained to jump into hostile or contested areas to secure key territory and airfields.
The Pentagon is also sending about 5,000 more Marines trained in amphibious assaults and thousands of sailors to the region.
Most Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far and many are worried about the cost of gasoline, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
The survey indicates that while Trump’s approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be swiftly turning into a major political liability for his Republican administration.
Mediators are pushing for possible in-person talks between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as Friday in Pakistan, the Egyptian and Pakistani officials said.
Trump has said the U.S. is “in negotiations right now” and that the participants include special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Trump has not identified anyone from Iran taking part.
Press TV, the English-language broadcaster on Iranian state television, cited an Iranian five-point proposal that includes a halt to killings of its officials, safeguards against future attacks on Iran, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”
Those measures, particularly reparations and its continued chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, likely will be unacceptable to the White House.
While Iran and Oman both have territory in the strait, its narrow shipping channels are viewed as international waters through which all ships can travel.
Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. It’s not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority and willingness to negotiate .
Iran remains highly suspicious of the United States, which twice under the Trump administration has attacked during high-level diplomatic talks, including when the war began on Feb. 28.
The Israeli military said Wednesday it had carried out waves of airstrikes in Tehran, following strikes a day earlier targeting an Iranian submarine development center in Isfahan.
Missile alert sirens sounded in Israel as Iran and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon launched attacks. Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel around the clock since the war began.
Iran also kept up pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it had destroyed at least eight drones in its oil-rich Eastern Province, and missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain. Kuwait said it shot down multiple drones but that one hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport.
Meanwhile, six people allegedly linked to Hezbollah were arrested in Kuwait for planning to assassinate Gulf leaders, Kuwait's Ministry of Interior said in a statement. Fourteen associates had fled the country, officials said.
More than 1,500 people have been killed in Iran, its Health Ministry says. Twenty people have been killed in Israel; two Israeli soldiers have also been killed in Lebanon. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed. More than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states have also died.
Nearly 1,100 people have died in Lebanon, authorities said. In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militant groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have been killed.
The news of potential negotiations drove down the price of oil. Brent crude oil, the international standard, was trading around $100 a barrel Wednesday, after nearing as high as $120 earlier last week. That's still up around 35% from the start of the war.
Economists and leaders have warned of far-reaching effects if energy prices remain high — from rising prices on food and other basics to higher rates for mortgages and auto loans.
Iran has allowed a small number of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but has said no ships from the U.S., Israel or countries seen as linked to them can pass.
Madhani reported from Washington, Corder from The Hague, Netherlands, and Ahmed from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Nicholas Riccardi in Washington contributed to this report.
Dog salon workers take cover with the dogs in a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strikes in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Smoke rises from Kuwait international airport after a drone strike on fuel storage in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Friday, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo)
Smoke rises from Kuwait international airport after a drone strike on fuel storage in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Friday, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo)
Firefighters look on as volunteers and first responders inspect the rubble and search for victims at a residential building hit in an overnight strike during the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matin Hashemi)
First responders inspect a destroyed car at the site of a residential building hit in an overnight strike during the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matin Hashemi)
