A revealing segment on The Briefing with Jen Psaki zeroed in on what may prove to be one of the most politically significant early warning signs of the 2026 midterms: a stunning Democratic flip in Florida’s 87th State House District, a coastal Palm Beach seat that includes Mar-a-Lago—the political and personal home base of Donald Trump. In that race, Democrat Emily Gregory, a first-time candidate and public health professional, defeated Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples in a result that is already reverberating nationwide.
The scale of the upset is what makes it so consequential—and so searchable. This is a district Republicans had carried comfortably just two years earlier, with the GOP winning by roughly 19 points in 2024. Yet Gregory flipped it outright, prevailing by a narrow but decisive margin despite Trump’s direct involvement through his endorsement of Maples. In today’s political environment, districts with that kind of recent partisan lean—especially ones tied so closely to Trump—rarely shift without a deeper change in voter sentiment. That’s why terms like Florida special election upset, Democrats flip Trump district, and Mar-a-Lago election results are already trending across political coverage.
What makes this result even more powerful from an SEO and political standpoint is how it fits into a broader national pattern. Gregory’s victory is part of a growing string of Democratic overperformances in special elections since Trump’s return to power. These races are often leading indicators of the national mood, and historically they have foreshadowed midterm outcomes with surprising accuracy. Search interest around phrases like 2026 midterms prediction, Democratic momentum 2026, and GOP election losses is rising for a reason: voters and analysts alike are looking for early signals, and Florida’s 87th is now at the center of that conversation.
Equally important is the asymmetry highlighted in the segment: Democrats are not just competing—they are flipping Republican-held seats—while Republicans have yet to flip a single Democratic seat in the same period. That imbalance is critical for anyone tracking midterm election trends, party enthusiasm gaps, or voter turnout dynamics. When one party is expanding the map and the other is stuck defending it, history suggests a broader shift may already be underway.
The Florida result drives that point home in unmistakable terms. If Democrats can win in a district anchored in Trump’s own backyard, where Republican structural advantages should be strongest, it raises serious questions about GOP durability heading into November. Issues like cost of living, healthcare, and local governance played a role, but the national takeaway is unavoidable: even in reliably red areas, the political ground may be shifting. That’s why this race is quickly becoming a case study for swing district strategy, Democratic campaign success, and Republican vulnerabilities in 2026.
Taken together, this is exactly the kind of early signal that shapes both media narratives and search behavior. One race does not determine a midterm outcome, but patterns do—and the pattern emerging now is one of Democratic momentum and Republican stagnation. If current trends hold, the upset in Florida’s 87th State House District may not just be a viral headline—it may be the clearest early indicator of a coming blue wave in the 2026 midterm elections.
The 2022 midterm election will not only go down in history as one which produced the most unlikely outcome for the party in power, but also, one where the pollsters got it totally wrong. As a matter of fact, the pollsters got it so wrong, that the public is convinced, they were deliberately misled with the “red wave/tsunami” predictions. It’s therefore only fair that the mainstream media journalists who got sucked into the red wave mass hysteria be named and shamed, and their actions memorialized for future reference–sort of a handy list, if you will.
MSNBC did an interesting, and quite frankly, hilarious mashup of the “red wave” mass hysteria that appeared to suck up even some well respected journalists from reputable networks. This shows how these faulty/fake polls can affect mainstream media coverage of elections, which can then have negative consequences, up to and including depressing voter turnout. This is therefore an issue that needs to be addressed head on as we approach the 2024 general elections.
Politicians are known to exaggerate, so they are not the subject of this naming and shaming. Our interest here is only on journalists, who ought to know better.
Fox News’ Steve Doocey(1:39): “You know, your predictions of a red wave are accurate.”
Unidentified Fox News Reporter(1:42):”…a red wave is coming.”
Fox News star Anchor Laura Ingraham(1:44): “Red Wave Rising.” This is the title of a whole segment Ingraham dedicated on the “red wave” on 10/18/22. Not a good look, Laura, not a good look.
Unidentified Reporter on NewsMax(1:51): “Sleepy Joe just guaranteed a red wave in Pennsylvania.”
Fox News’ Dana Perino(2:01): “Democrats are bracing for the worst case scenario, a red Tsunami.”
Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld(2:04): “We are officially on a red Tsunami watch.” He was apparently referring to an Axios piece by Josh Kraushaar titled “RED TSUNAMI WATCH.” Not a good look Josh, not a good look.
Fox News’ Clay Travis(2:09): “Red Tsunami grows…that means red Tsunami.”
Fox News’ Stephen Miller(2:16): “Poverty, joblessness, critical race theory, crazy gender ideology in our schools, we are going to see a red Tsunami.”
Unidentified host of Fox News’ The Five show(2:34): “Up next, Elon Musk ready to ride the big red wave.”
Fox News’ Steve Doocey(2:37): “Elon Musk tweeted massive red wave.” For the record, Musk did indeed tweet about a red wave. Other Fox News personalities who used this Elon Musk tweet to proclaim a “red wave” were Tucker Carlson(biggest star on Fox), Maria Bartiromo, among others. Not a good look, Elon, not a good look.
Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro(2:43): “You’re about to see a red wave, that makes ‘Day After Tomorrow’ [the popular movie] look like nothing.”
Leading Podcaster Joe Rogan(2:47): “That’s going to be responsible for the red wave. I think the red wave that’s coming is going to be like the elevator doors opening up in ‘The Shining'[popular 80’s movie]”
Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro(2:55): “Rogan said that the red wave is going to look like the elevator doors opening, and the blood pouring out of the elevator in ‘The Shining’, that is correct, except it’s not going to be an elevator, it’s going to look more like ‘Deep Impact ‘[popular movie], the tsunami at the end, but colored red.” Good Lord have mercy!!
Fox News Contributor Dan Bongino(3:10): “Remember that Teo Leone ‘Deep Impact’ disaster movie? That’s the red wave tsunami that will come ashore.”
Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro(3:17): “It’s going to be a brutal week for the Democrats beginning on Tuesday.”
Fox News’ Clay Travis(3:21): “Frankly, I’ve already DVR-ed CNN and MSNBC for election night, not because I’m going to watch, but just because I want to enjoy the tears post-red tsumami.” Hope you’re enjoying those DVRs, Clay.
Fox News’ Jesse Watters(0:05): “It’s going to be a wave election, and you [Democrats] gonna lose the Senate, I’ll bet you $1,000 now.”
Fox News’ Lisa Boothe(0:12): “Democrats are going to be crushed on November 8th because a red wave is coming.”
Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld(0:16): “Betting that Joy will learn two new words on Tuesday, red wave.”
Unidentified Fox Business host(0:21): “How big could that looming red wave get?”
Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo(0:23): “We begin this Sunday morning with expectations of a red wave this Tuesday.”
Fox News Contributor Marc Thiessen(0:39): “We’ve been hearing, ‘is it going to be a red wave?’, ‘is it going to be a red tsunami?’, I think it’s going to be a red hurricane.”
Fox News’ Pete Hegseth(0:43): “When the red wave comes, and it is coming, Joe Biden’s political utility is over.”
Fox News’ John Roberts(0:48): “Are we in for a red wind here, or a red wave?”
Fox News’ Martha MacCallum(0:51): “Red wave or red tsunami, what are you feeling today?”
Fox News’ Jesse Watters(0:54): “And don’t listen to the lies they are spewing, that this could take days…to know who won. This is total bs. A wave like this, we should know that night, basically, who won the Senate and the House, and even if it happens Wednesday into Thursday, it’s gravy.”
Unidentified Fox News Reporter reporting on an actual tropical storm approaching Florida(1:09): “Right out the back door, I’ve got a tropical storm brewing right now. I think they’re saying it could be a category one by the end of the day. However, let me tell you what is the storm, that red wave…” Oh boy!!
There’s also this clip from MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber which shows even journalists from CNN sucked into the “red wave” mass hysteria. Not a good look, CNN, not a good look.
CNN & ABC’s Alyssa Farah Griffin(7:28): “A red wave is coming. Republicans are going to win the midterms…”
New York Post’s Karol Markowicz(7:32): “Forget red wave, I’m rooting for a red tsunami. “
CNN’s Jake Tapper(7:34): “Politicos with whom I spoke today all agree, as of now, a modest red wave at the very least, seems to be building.”
Fox News’ Dana Perino(7:49): “Signs of a red wave are kind of getting bigger than ever, but not everybody in the media wants to hear that.” Dana is a former White House Press Secretary.
Fox News’ Jesse Watters(7:55): “It wasn’t looking like a red wave earlier in August, and now it looks like a tsunami.”
As MSNBC host Ari Melber aptly summarized it (8:00): “The point there is not that multiple news channels over there echo Fox and sound similar, as they make those predictions that have been proven false…It’s bigger than the media or polls. This is a larger effort to hack your mind, and the discourse, and shape the ultimate turnout for the results in our democracy itself…It is legal to be sure, but it’s also misleading with real consequences…If you really have a huge bankable lead, you don’t need to hype it. You just turn your voters out and win, but so many Republican leaders know their slate of MAGA candidates lately, is very weak…So Republicans concluded they needed to inflate their perceived support in the hopes that that might then create more support than they have actually have…”
Bottom line folks, this stuff is serious. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also addressed this fake poll issue, which featured prominently in her race. What Gov Hochul said about this serious issue lines up with the assessment by MSNBC’s Ari Melber.
Voters have a right to know which polling firms are credible, and those with a history of manipulating polls to aid campaigns. This will prevent reputable news channels from getting sucked into these “wave” hoaxes, as they report on elections.
For the record, Yours Truly never fell for the “red wave/tsunami” mass hysteria for one minute.
Can’t wait for doom & gloom MSMers with their “polls” next week.I know my Dems will kick @GOP’s a$$, especially in Senate races
