GOP Candidate Pivots to Redrawn CD 22 Bordering Treasure Coast

A Republican congressional candidate's decision to abandon a high-profile South Florida race and stake his claim in Florida's newly drawn 22nd Congressional District carries potential downstream consequences for Treasure Coast voters. The redrawn district's northeastern edge pushes into Palm Beach County communities that neighbor Indian River and Martin counties.

Michael Carbonara, a Southwest Ranches Republican who had been challenging U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, announced he is shifting his candidacy to CD 22 following the Florida Legislature's passage of a new congressional map. He became the first candidate to enter that contest since Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed the new cartography. DeSantis had not yet signed the map into law at the time of the announcement.

The geographic reach of the redrawn district is sweeping. CD 22 stretches from Marco Island in Southwest Florida nearly to the Atlantic coast under the new lines, with its northeastern corner encompassing Wellington and Belle Glade — communities in western Palm Beach County that sit within the broader media and political orbit of the Treasure Coast. That boundary shift means the outcome of the CD 22 race will be decided, in part, by voters whose interests overlap with those of Martin and Indian River county residents on issues including water management, agricultural policy and Everglades restoration.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a West Palm Beach Democrat, holds CD 22 under the existing map. But much of her current seat would fall into Florida's 23rd Congressional District under the proposed lines, leaving CD 22 without a natural incumbent — a dynamic Carbonara is moving to exploit.

An analysis by MCI Maps found that roughly 54.5% of voters in the redrawn district supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, a potential advantage for Carbonara in a Republican primary and general election. Four years earlier, Democrat Joe Biden carried 51% of the same geography.

Carbonara enters the CD 22 race with a substantial financial foundation. He raised more than $2.5 million through March while challenging Wasserman Schultz, slightly outpacing Wasserman Schultz's total fundraising haul for the cycle, public campaign finance records show. He closed the first quarter with just over $633,000 cash on hand.

Wasserman Schultz has said she will seek re-election but has not announced in which district she will run.

DeSantis's signature — or veto — of the new congressional map is the next development to watch. His action will determine whether CD 22's redrawn boundaries take effect before the 2026 primary filing deadline.

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