Maples Unseats Gregory in House District 87
Republican Jon Maples won the Florida House District 87 race by just over 1,000 votes, with more than 1,300 voters skipping the contest.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Elections
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Republican Jon Maples defeated state Rep. Emily Gregory, D-Jupiter, in the race for Florida House District 87 by just over 1,000 votes. More than 1,300 voters skipped the House District 87 race.
Why it matters
The result reverses Gregory's March special election win, which flipped the seat from Maples, and shows how closely contested the district remains. Undervoting in races across Palm Beach County also shapes how the outcomes of local contests are read by voters and officials.
Maples won the House District 87 seat by just over 1,000 votes, while more than 1,300 voters skipped the race entirely. The extraction does not show whether the margin will face a recount or legal challenge.
The players
Jon Maples
Jon Maples is a Republican who won the Florida House District 87 race in the general election.
Emily Gregory
Emily Gregory is a Democratic state representative from Jupiter who lost the House District 87 seat.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis is the Governor of Florida who removed Mike Caruso from office in August.
The details
Maples, a Republican, unseated Gregory, a Democrat from Jupiter, in the district that includes Mar-a-Lago. Across Palm Beach County, Republican Marci Woodward won District 4 by 1,122 votes over Democrat Curtis Calabrese, while Democrat Katherine Waldron unseated Republican Sara Baxter in District 6.
Timeline
March 2026: Gregory won a special election, flipping House District 87 from Maples.
August 2026: Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Republican Mike Caruso from office after his arrest.
Nov. 3, 2026: Palm Beach County general election held.
Political Context
The November outcome reverses Gregory's March special election win over Maples in House District 87, making it a direct rematch between the same two candidates. The contest shows the seat changing hands twice within a single year.
Voters in House District 87 now have a representative who won by just over 1,000 votes, so the outcome of similarly narrow races can change control of state seats quickly. Residents who skip down-ballot races, as more than 1,300 did here, effectively leave those seats to be decided by a small share of the electorate.
The takeaway
Close races and high undervoting rates mean that a small number of ballots can decide who holds a seat. Checking down-ballot contests is one of the most direct ways voters can affect local representation.
Further reading
For more on how these races are decided, explore Florida Elections coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Palm Beach Post.
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