Washington: Indian-American educator Pia Dandiya has won the Democratic primary for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, setting up a closely watched November contest that could determine control of the US House of Representatives.
Dandiya defeated attorney Kaysia Earley with 61.3 per cent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary. She will face Republican businessman and Marine veteran Casey Askar in the November 3 general election.
Askar secured the Republican nomination with 24 per cent of the vote in a crowded seven-candidate field. Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Michael Carbonara received 20.6 per cent, while university administrator Belinda Keiser finished with 20.2 per cent.
“I am so thrilled and honoured to be your Democratic nominee for US Congress here in my home state of Florida,” Dandiya said in her victory speech.
“To the voters, to the volunteers, and to everyone who’s believed in our campaign for months, a truly heartfelt thank you,” she said.
Dandiya said the campaign would now begin “the next chapter of our fight to stand up for working families and to write a new chapter of what it means to be a public servant in Florida.”
If elected, Dandiya would become the first South Asian American to represent Florida in the US Congress.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County to parents from India, Dandiya is a first-generation American. She began her career as a teacher and later founded a high school in Harlem at the age of 28, becoming one of the youngest high school principals in the country.
Every graduate of the school earned admission to college, according to her campaign, despite 86 per cent of the students coming from low-income households.
Dandiya later served as a White House Fellow with the Domestic Policy Council and the Department of Education. She subsequently led public-sector initiatives at Apple involving education, healthcare and state government.
The Democratic National Committee congratulated Dandiya and identified the district as a potential opportunity for the party to gain a House seat.
“As an educator and longtime leader in her community, Pia has dedicated herself to expanding opportunity and fighting for working families,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said.
“She is ready to fight in Congress to lower the costs of groceries, healthcare, and housing for South Florida families. The DNC is ready to help elect Pia, flip this seat, and take back the House majority in November,” Martin said.
Dandiya is running on a platform that includes reducing household costs, supporting universal pre-kindergarten, strengthening public schools, expanding vocational training and protecting Social Security, Medicare and reproductive rights.
The newly redrawn district covers parts of Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry and Collier counties. It became an open seat after Democratic Representative Lois Frankel decided to seek election from the neighbouring 23rd District.
The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the district as leaning Republican. Donald Trump carried its new boundaries with about 54.6 per cent of the vote in 2024, while Joe Biden won the same territory with 51 per cent four years earlier. Both national parties have placed the seat on their lists of priority contests.
(IANS)
