Washington, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pia Dandiya, whose parents emigrated from Jaipur to the United States in the 1980s, has won Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, becoming the second Indian American woman elected to the US House of Representatives after Pramila Jayapal.
The Democrat defeated Republican businessman Casey Askar in her first electoral contest. Projections by Decision Desk HQ and CBS News declared her the winner. NBC News also projected a Dandiya victory, with her leading by approximately 52 per cent to 48 per cent and around 99 per cent of the expected vote counted. The network reported that the district had shifted about 14 percentage points towards Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential election.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Dandiya grew up in Jupiter, where her parents settled after moving from Jaipur. Her father, Dr Rohit Dandiya, continued his medical practice in the US, while her mother established a Montessori school.
Dandiya has spoken about how her family’s Indian roots shaped her outlook. Her parents regularly sent her to India as a child to spend time with her cousins. During a summer break after her freshman year at Harvard, she also taught English to children in New Delhi’s slum communities through the Asha Cooperative Society.
She studied government at Harvard and earned a master’s degree in education from Boston University. After teaching with Teach For America in Boston, she became the founding principal of Democracy Prep Endurance High School in Harlem at the age of 28. Her campaign said all graduates of the school secured college admission, despite around 86 per cent of its students coming from low-income backgrounds.
Dandiya later served as a 2020 White House Fellow, working with the Domestic Policy Council and the US Department of Education. She subsequently led public-sector initiatives at Apple and was appointed to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s P-20 Council.
Her campaign focused on the cost of living, healthcare, education, corruption and gun safety. She initially entered the race in Florida’s 21st District but shifted to the 22nd following mid-decade redistricting and won the Democratic primary on August 18.
The contest attracted substantial campaign spending. By October 14, Dandiya had raised around $4.6 million, compared with Askar’s $7.4 million, much of which came from loans to his own campaign. Federal Election Commission filings also showed significant spending by political action committees on both sides.
Dandiya received endorsements from the Indian American Impact Fund and Serve America PAC, as well as Wellington Republican Mayor Michael Napoleone. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg campaigned alongside her on October 26.
Congratulating her, Jayapal welcomed Dandiya’s election, saying she was excited to see another South Asian American woman join the House. Dandiya lives in Palm Beach Gardens with her husband, Navneet Alag, and their son, Sahib.
Her victory adds to the representation of Indian Americans in the US Congress, popularly known as the “Samosa Caucus”.
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