New York, March 25 – A Democrat has wrested control of the state legislature seat in Florida, which was previously held by President Donald Trump's Republican Party, in a by-election.
In a setback for the Republicans, Emily Gregory won the state House of Representatives seat in Tuesday's by-election, despite Trump's 11% lead in the 2024 election.
Gregory's home is located in the constituency where she won.
"Floridians deserve leaders who prioritize people over politics," Gregory said.
Trump himself voted by mail in the election, despite his criticism of postal ballots.
Republican candidate Jon Maples received Trump's endorsement.
The vacancy occurred when Republican Mike Caruso, who won the seat by 19% in 2024, resigned to become the county clerk and comptroller for a local municipality.
Republicans also lost a Florida state Senate by-election to Democrat Brian Nathan, who flipped the seat.
Gregory said that voters were motivated by concerns over rising prices, an issue that is affecting citizens as the effects of the Iran War are seeping into petrol stations and supermarkets, exacerbating an existing affordability problem.
Setting the stage for the upcoming showdown in the midterm elections in November, the state Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said, "Floridians are tired of the chaos, corruption, and sky-high prices on everything from groceries to gas and healthcare."
This is a challenge for the Republican Party as the country heads to the midterm elections in November, which will determine the control of Congress.
Politico reported that Democrats have seized 28 Republican-held seats in state legislatures in elections across the country over the past 14 months.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers warned of mounting pressure on American weapons stockpiles and a rapidly deteriorating global nuclear landscape, as a Senate hearing exposed sharp concerns over the Trump administration's war with Iran and the future of arms control.
At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Ranking Member Senator Jeanne Shaheen said that the pace of weapons consumption has exposed serious gaps in planning and strategy.
"Last Thursday, almost three weeks into this war against Iran, the Administration pushed through more than $16 billion in arms sales to the Middle East… using emergency authority to bypass normal Congressional review," she said.
Shaheen described the situation as a "munitions and weapons" emergency, warning that US reserves are being depleted rapidly. "In some cases, we have only about a quarter of the interceptors we need," she said, adding that it remains "unclear what the end goal of the war in Iran is."
The strain is already affecting other conflicts. "US support has become less predictable, and allies are increasingly stepping in to purchase or backfill American-made arms," she said, referring to Ukraine.
Shaheen said that "over 80 per cent of their strikes are now carried out by drones," highlighting a shift toward "autonomous systems and drone swarms." However, she cautioned, "the support that we have in the US is not keeping pace."