Indian-American Democrat Pia Dandiya has emerged as the winner of Florida’s 22nd Congressional District in the November 3, 2026, US midterm elections. Dandiya defeated Republican candidate Casey Askar in a closely contested race, according to the results displayed in the election reviewed by The News Drill.
The Associated Press called the race for Dandiya. The AP election results shown in the latest update listed her with 151,926 votes, or 51.88 per cent, compared with Republican candidate Casey Askar’s 140,933 votes, or 48.12 per cent. Dandiya’s lead was 10,993 votes, with 99 per cent of the vote reported at the time of the update. The Associated Press reported Dandiya as the winner of Florida’s 22nd Congressional District.
Dandiya’s victory marks a notable milestone for Indian-American representation in the US Congress and stands out among the closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections. She was the Democratic nominee in a district that had become competitive following Florida’s congressional redistricting.
Who is Pia Dandiya?
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida, to parents who emigrated from India, Dandiya has built a career spanning education, public service and the private sector. Her background and campaign biography describe her as a first-generation American whose parents came to the United States in pursuit of better opportunities.
Dandiya graduated from Harvard University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Government. She began her career as a teacher before moving into school leadership. She later founded and led a high school in Harlem, New York, where she said her work focused on expanding educational opportunities for students from underserved communities.
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After her time in education, Dandiya was selected as a White House Fellow. She served at the Domestic Policy Council and the US Department of Education, working during administrations led by both Democratic and Republican presidents. She subsequently joined Apple, where she led public-sector strategic initiatives and worked with government partners on areas including education and public services.
Her professional experience across classrooms, government and the technology sector became a central part of her campaign profile. Dandiya presented that experience as preparation for addressing the economic and institutional concerns of families in South Florida.
Cost of living and education at the centre of her campaign
Reducing the cost of living was one of Dandiya’s principal campaign themes. She pledged to focus on housing and property-insurance costs in South Florida, healthcare and prescription-drug expenses, childcare affordability, and what she described as price-gouging and hidden fees affecting household budgets.
Education was another major priority. Drawing on her experience as a teacher and school principal, Dandiya advocated investment in universal pre-kindergarten, stronger public schools, support for teachers, and job-training and apprenticeship pathways for young people.
She also called for changes to the way Washington operates, including restrictions on individual stock trading by members of Congress and measures to curb the influence of lobbyists. Her campaign message focused on affordability, education and making government more accountable to voters.
A competitive Florida congressional race
Florida’s 22nd Congressional District became an open-seat contest after incumbent Democrat Lois Frankel opted to run in the neighbouring 23rd District. The district’s boundaries were also changed ahead of the 2026 elections, making the race a closely watched contest for both major parties.
According to Ballotpedia’s district profile, Donald Trump carried the district under its current boundaries in the 2024 presidential election, while the seat was rated competitive by several election forecasters. Dandiya’s projected win is therefore a significant result for Democrats in South Florida.
For the Indian-American community, Dandiya’s projected election to the House of Representatives is another prominent example of the community’s growing participation in American public life. Her journey from an education career to the White House and the private sector, followed by a successful congressional campaign, places her among the new faces entering the US political landscape.
