There are moments in politics that can haunt a party for years. Ross Perot’s 1992 candidacy is widely believed to have enabled Bill Clinton’s election. Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection in 2024 and then drop out late in the campaign will long be a sour spot for them. Some things you have more control over than others, but one thing that should never cost us an election is ego.
The recent Boca Raton mayoral race is one of them.
We’re talking about a solidly Republican city, one where Donald Trump won by 13 points, which has just elected its first Democratic mayor in over 30 years.
BREAKING: Democrats just won the Boca Raton mayor’s office for the first time in over 30 years.
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) March 13, 2026
Congrats, Mayor-elect Thomson! pic.twitter.com/DhxBHAWpw6
Now, contrary to what Democrats may claim, this wasn’t part of a blue wave or anything like that. There was no grassroots uprising from the left or a dramatic shift in the electorate. The problem was that two Republicans let their egos get the better of them.
Democrat Andy Thomson defeated Republicans Mike Liebelson and Fran Nachlas, with the final margin confirmed at just 5 votes after a machine and manual recount. Thomson received 7,572 votes to Liebelson's 7,567. Nachlas, the outsider businessman, pulled 3,967 votes.
Yeah.
So that means the Republican candidates received 11,534 votes, roughly 60% of all ballots cast. Clearly, the GOP didn't lose this race because Boca Raton turned blue. They lost it because the Republican vote was split, handing Thomson a plurality he never could have earned in a one-on-one matchup. No runoff existed in this race — plurality takes all.
ICYMI: GOP Wins Another Redistricting Battle
Liebelson, the vice mayor and party establishment pick, carried just under 40% of the vote. Nachlas, running as the outsider businessman alternative, took about 21%. Was there any sign that Liebelson was the runaway GOP frontrunner? Well, his campaign’s internal polling showed him winning with 32%, followed by Thomson with 30%, and then Nachlas with 15%. I’m sure other polls were showing similar results, which tells me Nachlas should have dropped out. But he didn’t, and now, for the first time in three decades, Republicans have lost the mayoral election.
Democrats celebrated nationally, framing this as a "flip" and proof of a broader anti-Republican trend. Don't buy it. This wasn't a referendum on Trump, the party, or conservative governance. This was the direct result of ego, of an outsider Republican unwilling to acknowledge that the real job was keeping a Democrat out of the mayor's office. Defeating Democrats has to be the priority. Always.
Now, let’s be honest, the Boca Raton mayoral race won't shake the national political landscape, and the next election cycle will almost certainly self-correct. But Republicans need to internalize the lesson right now, not after the next loss. Ambition is fine. But don’t insist on staying in the battle if it means your side will lose the war. And in a race where 60% of voters were on your side, losing to a Democrat by 5 votes isn't bad luck — it's a choice.
