Florida Democrats Tuesday flipped a Republican-leaning statehouse seat that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and which he had won by double digits just 16 months ago.

First-time candidate Emily Gregory defeated Jon Maples, a former commissioner of an area town who did not live in the district heading into the election, but who won Trump’s endorsement even before the January primary.

“JON MAPLES HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” Trump posted again on social media Monday evening, even including a link to a website to help Republicans find their polling locations.

It was not enough. Gregory won the votes cast by mail and in early in-person voting by 3,000 votes, enough to hold off the 2,200-margin that Maples won with votes cast on Tuesday.

Florida Democrats also appeared to flip a state Senate in the Tampa area by about 500 votes.

“Both races, you saw the independent voters who were motivated to vote taking the opportunity to send a message about their view on the direction of the country,” said Steve Schale, a longtime Democratic consultant in the state who helped Barack Obama win the state twice. “In some ways, the Tampa result, if it holds, is even more stunning, given that the Democrats did virtually nothing there.”

Democrats both in Florida and nationally were quick to point to Gregory’s win as proof that voters everywhere are tired of Trump and Republicans generally.

“Donald Trump’s own neighbors just sent a crystal clear message: They are furious and ready for change,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said. “While Trump is partying with his billionaire donors and building gilded ballrooms, Americans are being left behind and raising hell with their votes.”

Trump already has a Democratic state senator for Mar-a-Lago, Mack Bernard, as well as a Democratic member of Congress, Lois Frankel. But the district has historically had a Republican state House member, including the one who was appointed to a job as clerk of the Palm Beach County courts by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis last summer.

DeSantis did not set a special election for the House seat until October, when a lawsuit filed by Gregory and the ACLU forced his hand. His apparent reluctance to do so made Democrats suspect he feared that Republicans could lose the seat.

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