Florida — 22nd District

Indian-American former school principal Pia Dandiya has won the Democratic primary for Florida's 22nd congressional district, setting up a contest against Republican Casey Askar, a veteran Marine, in the November elections.

Dandiya secured 68.6 per cent of the vote to defeat lawyer Kaysia Earley, who got 31.4 per cent. After the result, Dandiya said the campaign was about students, families and the future of children growing up in the district.

"Thank you, FL-22, for believing in this campaign. I got into this race for my students, my son, and every kid growing up in this district who deserves a better future," Dandiya said in a message on X. "Together, we will keep building a movement to lower costs, end corruption, and make Washington work for us again. I'm grateful to do it with you all," she said.

The Democratic National Committee congratulated Dandiya on her primary win. "As an educator and longtime leader in her community, Pia has dedicated herself to expanding opportunity and fighting for working families. She is ready to fight in Congress to lower the costs of groceries, healthcare, and housing for South Florida families," the committee said in a statement. "The DNC is ready to help elect Pia, flip this seat, and take back the House majority in November," it said.

Born to parents who migrated to the US from India, Dandiya had earlier sought to challenge Republican Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, from Florida's 21st district. She later shifted to South Florida's 22nd district, which was created in redistricting and had no incumbent in the fray. According to her campaign website, Dandiya is a first-generation American who has worked as a high school principal, policy leader and technology innovator. Born and raised in Palm Beach County in Florida, she began her career as a teacher and later served as a high school principal in Harlem. She founded a high school aimed at changing life trajectories for low-income students by putting them on a path to economic freedom. Her campaign website says every graduate of the school was admitted to college, though 86 per cent came from low-income households, and that she became the school's founding principal at 28, making her one of the youngest high school principals in the country.

With the Democratic primary now decided, Dandiya will face Askar in November after a campaign in which she highlighted her work in education and her focus on costs, corruption and opportunities for families in the district.

With PTI Inputs

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