Democrats on Monday officially claimed a second upset in Florida’s recent special elections when The Associated Press declared an electrical workers union leader to be the winner of a tight state Senate contest in reliably Republican West Tampa.

Brian Nathan, a Navy veteran and member of a new cadre of working-class Democrats, will join Emily Gregory, a small-business owner with a public-health background, as upstart Democrats in Tallahassee. Gregory last week won a state House district in Palm Beach that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago seaside mansion.

The upsets supplied the latest electoral boost to a party that suffered setbacks in 2024 in Washington, D.C., and in state capitols across the country but is staging a comeback.

Dems Have Flipped 30 GOP Seats Since 2024

Nathan, 45, is one of many blue-collar Democrats and anti-Republican independents vying for U.S. House and Senate seats, as well as state legislative posts. Since the 2024 election, Democrats have flipped 30 seats previously held by Republicans — including ones in Arkansas, New Hampshire, and Texas this year. Republicans have not captured any Democratic seats.

Republicans have downplayed the meaning of special elections and off-year races, when turnout is typically low.

In West Tampa, Nathan, a political novice, overcame a sizable financial disadvantage to beat former state Rep. Josie Tomkow, in a contest for a state Senate seat vacated when the incumbent, Jay Collins, was appointed lieutenant governor.

Nathan has vowed to work on pocketbook issues, and to resist recent legislation making it harder for unions to organize. He also said “too many legislators are distracted by divisive culture wars.”

Republicans did retain Tomkow’s former seat, a rural district between Tampa and Orlando.

Trump Had Endorsed the Runner-Up

Gregory won by 2.4 percentage points over Jon Maples, a financial planner, in a district that had given Trump a cushion of 11 percentage points in 2024. Trump endorsed Maples and hosted him at Mar-a-Lago.

Victories by Nathan and Gregory will not alter the power dynamics in Tallahassee, where Republicans hold supermajorities. Still, the newest legislators will be on hand for budget negotiations, as well as a special session to redraw Florida’s U.S. House map in time for the 2026 midterms.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By David W. Chen

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