Jon Maples employs multimedia blitz in homestretch of HD 87 race

Less than a week before Election Day, Republican Jon Maples is employing a full-on media blitz to sway support in his favor and against his Democratic foe in a Special Election for House District 87.

Voters in the coastal Palm Beach County district are receiving mailers touting Maples’ public service bona fides and campaign platform while bashing Democrat fitness entrepreneur Emily Gregory, who is competing with him for the long-vacant HD 87 seat.

When they turn on the TV or surf the web, they’re also likely to see one of multiple 30-second spots the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee (FHRCC) is running on his behalf.

The mailers, also funded by the FHRCC, prominently mention that Maples carries an endorsement from Attorney General James Uthmeier and local law enforcement, supports crackdowns on illegal immigration and backs first responders.

In contrast, they say Gregory — who isn’t named on the mailers — has attended protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has called for an end to deportations in online posts and raised money to bring deported migrants back to the U.S.

As proof, one mailer highlights an Aug. 27, 2025, Facebook post in which Gregory thanked the organizers of an event called “Vigil for Children Affected by ICE” and asked followers to donate to the groups. The post included the hashtags #EndDeportations and #FamiliesBelongTogether.

“Migrant crime has claimed too many lives in South Florida,” the mailer says. “Emily Gregory wants more of it.”

Another mailer features mugshots of “criminal alien sexual predators & violent criminals” who would be free on Florida’s streets, it says, “if Emily Gregory were in charge.” The mailer also points to Gregory’s August Facebook post and includes a screencap of a Nov. 13 ICE news release on the arrest of 230 undocumented immigrants “who are sexual predators and have egregious criminal histories.”

Gregory is “wrong on immigration” and “wrong for Florida,” the mailer says, while Maples “will keep Floridians safe.”

One of the video ads the FRCC is circulating features Maples describing himself as a “businessman, husband, father and proud Floridian,” not a politician; he works as a financial planner to help “families protect their money and plan for the future.”

“When government puts pressure on Florida families, I want to do something about it,” Maples, a former Lake Clarke Shores Council member and past Palm Beach County Commission candidate, says in the video. “My plan is simple: cut taxes, government spending and property insurance premiums. And I’m asking for your vote.”

The video, which is likely targeting Democrats and independents, does not mention Maples’ political affiliation or any partisan issues.

But another video does. It opens on a split-screen shot of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar — all Democrats, none Floridians — asserting they will “never stop persecuting” President Donald Trump, “fighting” Gov. Ron DeSantis, supporting “open borders” and being OK with “high prices” and “unraveling Florida’s freedoms.”

“On March 24, leftist Democrats want your House seat. Their only path to victory is through you,” a voiceover in the ad says. “Stop them by turning out to save Florida, to protect freedom, to vote. March 24 — Jon Maples, Florida House candidate.”

HD 87 — which runs up the coast through Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Juno Beach and Hypoluxo —has trended reliably Republican in recent cycles. Caruso won re-election by 19 percentage points in 2024, when President Donald Trump carried the district by roughly 9 points.

Both Gregory and Maples advanced to the General Election after overwhelming Primary wins in January, each securing more than 80% of the vote in their respective contests.

Election Day is Tuesday.