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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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President Donald Trump faced a bruising election night on Tuesday, as two Democrats flipped seats in reliably red Florida and the North Carolina Senate leader the president had endorsed for reelection conceded defeat in his primary race.
Newsweek contacted the White House via an email sent outside regular business hours for comment.
Why It Matters
The results serve as another sign of trouble for Republicans, who are embarking on a difficult campaign to keep control of both the House and Senate in November’s midterm elections. Historically, the party in power usually gives up seats in midterm elections. Trump has urged the GOP to redraw congressional maps across the country to give Republican candidates an advantage ahead of November's elections, although the effort that could end up backfiring.
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Democrats have celebrated Tuesday’s victories in Florida as another signal that voters are turning against Trump and Republicans. They are the latest in a series of special election victories for Democrats across the country since the president returned to the White House more than a year ago.
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What To Know
In Florida, Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election to represent the state’s 87th House district, flipping a seat that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The president carried the district by double digits in the 2024 election.
Trump had endorsed Gregory's Republican rival, Jon Maples. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, he urged voters to turn out to vote, saying Maples was backed “by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.”
Also in Florida, Democrat Brian Nathan declared victory in a tight race to replace Republican Jay Collins in State Senate District 14, after Collins was tapped by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as his lieutenant governor.
The win is a major upset in a Tampa-area district that Collins won by almost 10 percentage points in 2022 and where there are about 22,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats.
The two seats are the 29th and 30th seats that Democrats have flipped from Republican control since Trump returned to office, Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said in a statement to Newsweek.
In North Carolina, Phil Berger, who has served as the state Senate leader since 2011, conceded the primary race for his seat to Sam Page, the Rockingham County sheriff, on Tuesday. Berger trailed Page in their March 3 Republican primary in Senate District 26 by just 23 votes, according to The Associated Press.
“While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory," Berger said in a statement.
Trump had endorsed Berger for reelection in December, writing in a Truth Social post that Berger is an “America First Patriot” who is “doing an incredible job.” In the same post, Trump called Page “GREAT,” but said he wanted him to “come work for us in Washington, D.C., rather than further considering a run against Phil.”
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: “There is a very important Special Election tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, for Florida State House District 87 in beautiful Palm Beach County — JON MAPLES HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”
He added: “Jon is a very successful Businessman and Civic Leader, who is known and loved, and also endorsed by so many of my Palm Beach County friends, including by Great State Representative “MAGA” Meg Weinberger. Jon will be a terrific Legislator!”
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said in a statement to Newsweek: “Mar-a-Lago and Tampa just flipped red to blue, which should have Republicans sweating the midterms. A Trump +11 district in his own backyard shouldn’t be in play for Democrats, but tonight proves Republicans are vulnerable everywhere. State Democrats have now flipped a staggering 30 districts red to blue since Trump’s election. Gas prices are spiking, grocery costs are up, and families can’t get by—it’s clear voters at the polls are fed up with Republicans.
“If Mar-a-Lago and Tampa are vulnerable, imagine what’s possible this November. Democrats are clearly on offense as we prepare for the most expansive midterm strategy ever down-ballot, with 650 seats in play. 2026 is shaping up to be an election for the history books.”
Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, wrote on X: "Donald Trump’s own neighbors in Florida just sent a message: They elected a Democrat, Emily Gregory, to serve as their representative in the Florida state House. If Democrats can win in Trump’s backyard, we sure as hell can win anywhere across the country. Onward to November!"
What Happens Next
The midterm elections take place in November, when control of Congress will be at stake.
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