Indian-American educator Pia Dandiya wins Democratic primary in Florida

Washington: Indian-American educator Pia Dandiya has secured the Democratic nomination for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, paving the way for a high-profile November contest that may influence the balance of power in the US House of Representatives.

Dandiya defeated attorney Kaysia Earley in Tuesday’s primary, receiving 61.3 per cent of the votes. She will now take on Republican nominee Casey Askar, a businessman and former US Marine, in the November 3 election.

Askar emerged victorious from a seven-way Republican race with 24 per cent of the vote. Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Michael Carbonara finished second with 20.6 per cent, followed by university administrator Belinda Keiser, who secured 20.2 per cent.

Addressing supporters after her victory, Dandiya said she was honoured to have been chosen as the Democratic candidate in her home state.

She thanked voters and campaign volunteers and said her campaign would now focus on “standing up for working families” and redefining public service in Florida.

A victory in November would make Dandiya the first South Asian American to represent the state in the US Congress.

Dandiya was born and brought up in Palm Beach County to parents who migrated from India. She started her professional career as a teacher before establishing a high school in Harlem at the age of 28. Her campaign described her as one of the youngest people in the US to become a high school principal.

The school reported a 100 per cent college admission rate among its graduates, even though 86 per cent of its students came from low-income families, according to her campaign.

She later worked as a White House Fellow with the Domestic Policy Council and the Department of Education. At Apple, she headed public-sector programmes related to education, healthcare and state governments.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Dandiya’s record as an educator and community leader made her a strong candidate for the party.

He said she would campaign in Congress for lower grocery, healthcare and housing costs for families in South Florida. The DNC has identified the constituency as one where Democrats could potentially gain a seat and said it would support efforts to win the district in November.

Dandiya’s election agenda focuses on reducing living costs, making pre-kindergarten education universally available, improving public schools, increasing vocational training opportunities, and safeguarding Social Security, Medicare and reproductive rights.

Florida’s newly redrawn 22nd District includes parts of Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry and Collier counties. The seat was left open after Democratic Representative Lois Frankel opted to run in the neighbouring 23rd District.

Despite being viewed as a possible Democratic pick-up opportunity, the district is currently considered to lean Republican by the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Trump won approximately 54.6 per cent of the vote in the district’s present boundaries in the 2024 presidential election. Biden had won the same area with 51 per cent in 2020.

The Democratic and Republican parties have both listed the constituency among their priority races for the November election.

(Inputs from IANS)