“The Last Word” Spotlights Mar-a-Lago Flip Opportunity as Democrat Emily Gregory Builds Momentum

Democrats have flipped 28 seats since Trump’s election, and Florida’s HD-87 special election is the next race to watch tomorrow

 

WASHINGTON — Democrats could flip Mar-a-Lago blue tomorrow in a must-watch special election in Florida’s 87th House District. Though Trump won the district by 11 points, the district is “primed to be flipped blue” and “threatens a brutal wake-up call for Trump.” DLCC Target Race candidate Emily Gregory is a first-time candidate, small business owner, and mother of three who has centered her campaign on affordability and housing.

  Emily recently joined Ali Velshi on MS NOW’s “The Last Word” to discuss what she’s hearing from voters amid soaring living costs and MAGA extremism in the legislature. Democrats have now flipped 28 state legislative seats since Trump’s election, and breaking Florida’s supermajorities is on the DLCC’s expansive target map this November.  

Watch the full clip here.

  Check out some highlights below:

• Ali Velshi: The Trump era has been excellent for electing Democrats to state legislatures. They have now flipped 28 legislative seats since Donald Trump won in November of 2024, according to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Republicans have flipped zero. 
• Emily Gregory: We’ve done all the work. We’ve knocked all of the doors. We’ve talked to the voters, and I think we are going to be successful in this red-to-blue flip in a district that does indeed include Mar-a-Lago. […] We have seen a lot of money on the other side, but what we have on our side are the issues and the momentum. 
• Emily Gregory: On the issue of gas, the last thing that Floridians, that are already being squeezed, needed was $4 gas. What I hear consistently, most often at the doors and talking to voters, is property insurance. It is a real crisis in this state. Rates have skyrocketed. It’s out of control. We need real, real reform. Additionally, health care is a huge issue. We see tens of thousands of our neighbors losing their health insurance after the ACA tax credits expired. And education – Florida has gutted our public schools to record levels, and that’s what I’m hearing.
• Emily Gregory: I’m hearing the issues that are affecting Floridians day to day, and not what the Florida Legislature has focused on for the last several years. […] So we need to send different leaders to Tallahassee to fight for Florida families.

  The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) leads the national strategy to secure Democratic power in our state legislatures. We are the campaign arm for more than 3,000 state legislators and thousands of candidates across all 50 states who are advancing Democratic values and standing up to the dangerous MAGA agenda every single day. Over the last decade, our work has flipped 10 new chamber majorities. Those new majorities have ensured Democrats in state legislatures are positioned to protect our democracy and fundamental rights, while addressing the high cost of living and advancing opportunities. The DLCC’s national strategy and target map continue to pinpoint the most efficient paths to Democratic power across all 50 states.   

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