Washington: Pia Dandiya, the daughter of immigrants from Jaipur in Rajasthan, won Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, becoming the second Indian American woman elected to the US House of Representatives, after Pramila Jayapal.
Dandiya, a Democrat, defeated Republican businessman Casey Askar, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ and CBS News.
NBC News showed a ‘Projected winner’ banner on the race, with Dandiya ahead by about 52 per cent to 48 per cent and about 99 per cent of the expected vote counted. NBC said the race shifted about 14 points towards Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential vote.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Dandiya grew up in Jupiter, where her parents settled after emigrating from Jaipur in the 1980s. After moving to the US, her father, Dr Rohit Dandiya, continued his medical practice, while her mother, then 40, founded a Montessori school in Jupiter, initially established for Dandiya.
Dandiya was raised with strong ties to her Indian heritage, and her parents sent her to India as a child to spend time with her cousins.
“Very early on, my parents would send me on a solo trip to India to spend time with my cousins. These trips were life-changing and played a pivotal role in shaping my identity. They helped me understand how different democracies function and gave me a sense of global inequality,” she told New India Abroad in an August 2025 interview.
After her freshman year at Harvard, she spent a summer teaching English to children aged seven to 17 in the slums of New Delhi with the Asha Cooperative Society.
“Teaching those underprivileged kids, I learnt what truly separates people from each other is not their potential, but their circumstances,” she said.
“I was born and raised in this district by parents who came to this country in pursuit of the American dream, and I’ve dedicated my career to making sure that dream is within reach for more families,” Dandiya said when the Indian American Impact Fund endorsed her in 2025.
Dandiya studied government at Harvard and earned a master’s in education from Boston University. She taught with Teach For America in Boston and, at 28, became the founding principal of Democracy Prep Endurance High School in Harlem, where about 86 per cent of students were low-income, and every graduate was admitted to college, according to her campaign.
“Around 86 per cent of students in my school lived below the poverty. But we promised them a brighter future: if they came to our school, 100 per cent of them would earn admission to college,” she told New India Abroad.
She was a White House Fellow in 2020, serving on the White House Domestic Policy Council and at the US Department of Education, and later led public-sector initiatives at Apple. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed her to the state’s P-20 Council.
This was Dandiya’s first run for office. She initially filed to run in the 21st District against Republican Brian Mast, then moved to the open 22nd District after Florida’s mid-decade redistricting, and won the Democratic primary on August 18.
The district leans Republican by registration, with about 1,85,000 Republicans, 1,46,000 Democrats and 1,50,000 voters with other affiliations, Florida Politics reported.
Dandiya campaigned on the cost of living, corruption, healthcare, education and gun safety. “South Floridians are fed up with the rising costs and performative politics coming out of Washington,” she told Florida Politics.
The race drew heavy money. Through October 14, Dandiya raised about $4.6 million, while Askar raised about $7.4 million, most of it from loans to his own campaign. Askar’s self-funding reached about $6.8 million, Federal Election Commission records show.
No Going Back PAC, a super PAC funded by MAGA Inc., reported spending about $6.5 million against her by October 24, according to FEC filings. House Majority PAC, the main Democratic super PAC for House races, spent about $7.9 million against Askar.
Dandiya won endorsements from the Indian American Impact Fund and Serve America PAC, and from Wellington’s Republican mayor, Michael Napoleone.
“I’ve always believed that the person matters more than the party, and Pia has earned my respect and my endorsement,” Napoleone said. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg campaigned with her on October 26.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said on X that she “focused on the issues that matter most to South Florida — addressing the affordability crisis and making sure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.”
“Congratulations to @PiaforCongress for winning her election! I am so excited to welcome the third South Asian American woman (along with me and @aishabbwahab) to the House!!!” Indian-American Representative Pramila Jayapal posted on X.
Dandiya lives in Palm Beach Gardens with her husband, Navneet Alag, and their son, Sahib.
Her win keeps the Indian-American “Samosa Caucus” in the House from shrinking in the new Congress.
(IANS)
