Overview
- Baxter announced a run for the redrawn 22nd Congressional District on June 8 and then reversed course after President Trump posted on Truth Social and called her on June 12.
- She formally withdrew her congressional filing and reentered the race for Palm Beach County Commission District 6, meeting the noon qualifying deadline to appear on the August 18 Republican primary ballot.
- Baxter had faced a compressed qualifying window, a roughly $10,000 ballot-qualification threshold with no transfer of county funds, and a crowded GOP primary led by well-funded candidate Belinda Keiser.
- Political analysts say the episode highlights President Trump’s continuing sway over candidate decisions, donor behavior, and party strategy among Florida Republicans.
- The redrawn CD22, which would have favored Trump at about 55% in 2024, created a short-lived ’now-or-never’ opening that drew many contenders and will now shift endorsements, fundraising and campaign dynamics in the district.