Former President Joe Biden expressed his satisfaction at the prospect of a Democrat soon representing Mar-a-Lago, following a significant political shift in the area.
Sources close to the Daily Mail have confirmed that Biden, 83, reached out on Wednesday to Emily Gregory after her unexpected victory in a Florida special election. This win means President Donald Trump’s Florida resort will no longer be under Republican representation.
In the race for Florida’s House District 87 in the state House of Representatives, Gregory faced off against Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Jon Maples.
The seat was previously held by Republican state Representative Mike Caruso, who had secured the position with a 19-point lead in 2024. Additionally, President Trump had carried the district by approximately 10 points in the same year.
With the votes nearly fully tallied, Gregory emerged ahead of Maples by a margin of 2.4 percentage points, translating to a lead of 797 votes, according to the Associated Press.
Biden’s call to Gregory was primarily to offer his congratulations on her achievement.
He typically gives out his phone number on the calls, telling rising Democrats to feel free to lean on him as a resource, as he plays an elder statesman role in the party.
Trump had put his weight behind Maples in the primary, giving him a ringing endorsement in January.
Former President Joe Biden, photographed during an event in South Carolina last month, dialed Emily Gregory, who beat a Trump-backed Republican to represent the Florida state House district that encompasses Mar-a-Lago
Democrat Emily Gregory won a shock victory Tuesday night in a special election in a district that previously tilted heavily Republican and includes President Donald Trump’s Florida resort Mar-a-Lago
The President also took heat for voting by mail in this special election after raging against the use of mail-in ballots.
The White House clapped back Tuesday, telling the Daily Mail that Trump supports the SAVE America Act, which allows exceptions for ‘illness, disability, military, or travel.’
‘As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.,’ White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told the Daily Mail. ‘This is a non-story.’
Gregory isn’t the only Democratic victor that Biden has reached out to.
The Daily Mail can also reveal that Biden phoned Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who won the state’s Democratic Senate primary last week.
Stratton was in a three-way race against two members of Congress, but had the backing and financial support of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
With Illinois being a solidly blue state, Stratton is expected to win the seat in November, which was vacated by retiring Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin.
Biden also reached out to Texas state Representative James Talarico, the winner of the Texas Democratic Senate primary earlier this month.
Former President Joe Biden also placed calls to Texas state Representative James Talarico (left), after he won the Senate Democratic primary earlier this month and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton (right), who won her Senate primary last week
Former President Joe Biden (center) is photographed with former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (left) and daughter Ashley (right) last month at a fundraiser for his presidential library. Biden library and foundation planning are ramping up, the Daily Mail has learned
Former President Joe Biden takes a selfie with a passenger before boarding a flight to Columbia, South Carolina last month at Washington Reagan National Airport. Biden has been spotted flying commercial and riding Amtrak since leaving the White House in January 2025
Talarico bested the better-known Representative Jasmine Crockett, who sought the Senate seat after Republicans redistricted her House seat, making it far more red.
His race will be far tougher than Stratton’s, as Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1988.
Beyond making political calls, Biden has dedicated several hours each day to writing his memoir.
The ex-President inked a book deal last summer for $10million – far less than the estimated $65million doled out to former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama for their memoirs.
The book is expected to be released later this year, but no publication date has been set.
Biden has recently been spotted flying commercial and taking Amtrak, as he did for years while serving in the U.S. Senate representing Delaware.
Last week, he made a surprise trip to Boston to mark St. Patrick’s Day.
A source familiar tells the Daily Mail that he and the former First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, have several joint events scheduled for the month of April.
Additionally, work on his foundation and presidential library is ramping up.
All the while, the 83-year-old is dealing with a serious cancer diagnosis, but insiders have been encouraged that he’s responding well to treatment and is continuing to work on stuff that he cares about.
