Democrats Flipped a Heavily Republican Florida House District Last Night

On Tuesday night, Democrats turned a legislative seat from red to blue for the 36th time since Donald Trump’s inauguration. This time, Margaret Good won a special election for Florida’s 72nd House District—in an area that voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by about five points in 2016.

The district, a largely conservative and white slice of the state’s Western coast where there are about 13,000 more Republicans registered than Democrats, voted for Good by a margin of eight points. She unseated Republican James Buchanan—who made public appearances with Corey Lewandowski and whose supporters led a “lock her up” chant at one of his rallies—and Libertarian Alison Foxall.

The district is a wonky little microcosm of the demographics and political changes that make Florida a fascinating and frustrating state to watch. Though the state’s more idyllic coast is typically thought of as a retirement haven, parts of the district have experienced demographic shifts as younger college students flock to the area.

It couldn’t have hurt that former Vice President Joe Biden jumped in to endorse Good in the weeks leading up to the election, and that she ran on a platform of protecting the state’s coastline, enshrining anti-discrimination protections, and increasing access to affordable healthcare.