Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter abruptly pulled out of the District 22 U.S. House race only four days after entering it on Monday, June 8.
Baxter, an Acreage resident, said as late as Wednesday, June 10 that she would not defend her District 6 seat on the Palm Beach County Commission in the Aug. 18 Republican primary.
However, a call from President Donald J. Trump on Thursday afternoon changed all that, Baxter said Friday, June 12.
“The President called and said he wanted me to stay here because there’s so much important work to be done in the county,” Baxter told the Town-Crier. “I was surprised, but when the president, whoever that may be, asks you to do something, you have to respect the office and consider it.”
On his Truth Social app Thursday night, Trump described Baxter as “highly qualified for many top political jobs” and thanked her for her staying in the fight for District 6, where she is being challenged by Indian Trail Improvement District President Elizabeth Accomando.
“I love serving the residents of District 6,” Baxter said. “In either position, it’s an honor.”
Well-known businessman Allen Gast of Gast Construction considered the idea of running in District 6 after Baxter pulled out, but did not qualify for the ballot, leaving Baxter and Accomando to face-off in August. The winner will then face one of three Democrats also in the running: Mario Guzman, Rudolph Tinker and Katherine Waldron, who each qualified for the August ballot.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The story above updates a story that appeared in the June 12, 2026, print edition of the Town-Crier, which went to press before Baxter changed her mind and decided to stay in the District 6 race. Here is the original story from the printed edition:
Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter announced this week that she is entering a crowded field seeking the U.S. House seat for the newly carved District 22.
In doing so, Baxter, a Republican, dropped her bid to retain the District 6 seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
Unless someone new files before the Friday, June 12 deadline, that leaves only Indian Trail Improvement District President Elizabeth Accomando seeking the Republican nomination in District 6. Accomando would then go directly to the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
Democrats Mario Guzman and Rudolph Tinker had already qualified for the race as of Wednesday evening, and candidates Mohammad Junaid Akther and Katherine Waldron have put in filing paperwork.
Asked this week about Baxter’s decision, Accomando said, “It’s not important who’s on the ballot. I’m not running for a ballot. I’m running for the people of District 6.”
As recently as two weeks ago, Baxter told the Town-Crier that she was committed to the county race.
“I didn’t lie,” she said Tuesday. “But I took some time to think about it and make up my mind… I think I’m the best candidate for the job.”
Baxter is not alone in her decision to seek the House District 22 seat. As of Wednesday evening, fellow Republicans David Burck, Michael Carbonara, Terri Hasdorff, Belinda Keiser and Michael Thompson had qualified for the ballot, as had Democrats Pia Dandiya and Kaysia Earley. Baxter and Republican Richard Evans had filed but not yet qualified. Other names have also been mentioned.
The new U.S. House districts came into being on May 4 when Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a bill creating several districts more favorable to GOP candidates.
House District 22 includes most of the western communities here in Palm Beach County, which is Baxter’s district, and stretches across the Glades to the west coast and down to Marco Island in Collier County. It also dips into northwestern and central Broward County — enough so that the area will have a major influence on the outcome of the race.
“The creation of the new congressional district blesses me with the opportunity to work with President Trump to stop illegal migrant crime, protect our elections, cut taxes, slash red tape and bloated bureaucracy, protect hardworking farmers, our food supply chain, support our great military and veterans, and defend Second Amendment rights,” Baxter wrote in a prepared statement. “As county mayor, I learned to break gridlock, shake up bureaucracy and deliver real results for the people. Washington needs more fighters who are focused on delivering for their district.”
In January, Trump endorsed Baxter for the county commission seat, but she said Tuesday that she has not asked for the president’s endorsement in House District 22, nor has he offered it — yet.
“Any Republican candidate would be happy to have President Trump’s endorsement,” she said. “But I have to work to earn it.”
Baxter lives in The Acreage with her husband Brian and their three sons, ages 7, 10 and 16.
Baxter noted that her husband “has taken up a lot of slack” during her time on the county commission. “He supports my decision. He loves what I’m doing… [that] I’m giving back to the community,” she said. “I believe I’ve done a lot for the residents of my district.”
Together, the Baxters own Foreign Auto Specialists, an auto repair business they founded in 2011. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Palm Beach State College.
Baxter’s three-and-half years on the county commission has not been without controversy. Those controversies include an attempt to create a motorsports park off Southern Blvd., support of a land swap for GL Homes involving the county’s Agricultural Reserve, request for a personal security detail and most recently a muddled early response to Project Tango — a planned AI hyperscale data center just west of the Arden community.
Baxter later clarified her position on the data center — officially known as the Central Park Commerce Center — saying she would be a “no” vote on expansion of the project originally approved in 2016; and today, all seven county commissioners have security teams.
Recently, Baxter expressed confidence that she could win her re-election bid in District 6. She said Tuesday she’s aware a cross-state congressional race is a much bigger gamble, but the opportunities to shape policy to benefit a broad swath of southern Florida and the nation also are much larger.
“I believe that if God wants me in that position, he’ll help me get there,” she said.
