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Republican Casey Askar and Democrat Pia Dandiya are competing for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District seat, which covers parts of Collier, Hendry, Palm Beach, and Broward counties, in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Registered voters in the district will decide the race. The winner will serve a two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In this post, I summarize the backgrounds and stated priorities of the two candidates seeking this seat, along with their endorsements, recent news coverage, and campaign finance data, to help voters prepare to cast their ballots. I also include links where you can research each candidate further.
- Casey Askar (Republican)
- Pia Dandiya (Democrat)
- The Race in the News
- Polling and Campaign Finance Data
Casey Askar
Republican Casey Askar, whose legal name is Kousay Askar, was born in Iraq and came to the United States at age 7 with his family after they fled religious persecution as Christians. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1988 to 1992. After his military service, he built a business career beginning in the fitness industry before expanding into food franchising and commercial real estate. He is Chairman and CEO of Askar Family Office, a family-owned investment company with interests in franchising, commercial real estate, energy, and construction. He completed Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management program, a three-year executive education program for established business owners. Askar is married and has seven children. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2020 Republican primary for Florida’s 19th Congressional District. (Casey Askar campaign biography; Ballotpedia)
Platform
Askar’s campaign website states, “Prosperity starts with leadership.” Its Issues page lists nine platform priorities, one more than at the time of the primary (Government Accountability has been added):
- America
- Economy
- Election Integrity
- Government Accountability
- Foreign Policy
- Energy
- Education
- Immigration/Law Enforcement
- Healthcare
Endorsements
From his campaign website, current as of Oct. 26, 2026:
- State and federal officials: Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, former Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, state Rep. Yvette Benarroch, and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis
- Military: Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, U.S. Army (Ret.)
- Organizations: CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference)
- Local leaders: Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Marco Island City Council Chairman Darrin Palumbo
In addition, President Donald Trump endorsed Askar on Sept. 2, 2026. (Gulf Coast News and Weather)
In the News
- Businessman, veteran Casey Askar announces run for Congress in Florida’s 22nd district. (The Floridian, 5/19/26)
- Kevin Rambosk endorses Casey Askar for Congress in CD 22. (Florida Politics, 6/10/26)
- Shadow group has attacked Trump ally Casey Askar in support of Belinda Keiser. (The Floridian, 6/15/26)
- Casey Askar wants to rename portion of I-75 “President Donald J. Trump Interstate.” (Florida Politics, 6/18/26)
- Kathleen Passidomo gives Casey Askar a hometown boost in CD 22. (Florida Politics, 6/29/26)
- Republican Casey Askar touts business experience in CD 22 pitch. (The Floridian, 6/29/26)
- Casey Askar “is stepping up to fight” against Democratic Socialists. (The Floridian, 7/1/26)
- Marco Island council chair endorses Casey Askar in GOP primary for CD 22. (Florida Politics, 7/6/26)
- Top conservative group CPAC endorses ‘proven conservative’ Casey Askar for Congress. (The Floridian, 7/9/26)
- General Mike Flynn endorses Casey Askar for Florida’s 22nd congressional district race. (The Floridian, 8/11/26)
- Casey Askar wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Florida’s 22nd congressional district. (Bay News 9, 8/18/26)
- National Republican Congressional Committee adds Askar, Singer, Beltran, & Green to ‘MAGA Majority’ program. (The Floridian, 9/8/26)
- Casey Askar promises a permanent reduction of the federal gas tax. (The Floridian, 9/16/26)
- Congressional District 22 candidate Casey Askar Q&A. (Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News, 10/17/26)
Further Research
- Campaign website: caseyaskar.com
- Sparker’s Soapbox, 7/25/20
Pia Dandiya
Democrat Pia Dandiya is a first-generation American, born and raised in Palm Beach County to parents originally from India. She began her career as a teacher, then became a high school principal in Harlem at age 28, one of the youngest in the country; every graduate of the charter school she founded there earned college admission despite 86% of students living below the poverty line. She was later selected as a White House Fellow, serving at the White House Domestic Policy Council and the U.S. Department of Education, then led public sector initiatives at Apple and was appointed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to the Illinois P-20 Council, where she co-chaired its K-12 Computer Science working group. She holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and a master’s degree in education from Boston University.
Dandiya originally entered the 2026 cycle as a Democratic primary candidate in Florida’s 21st Congressional District, challenging U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, and shifted her campaign to the newly drawn, open CD 22 seat in May 2026 after redistricting; if elected, she would become the first South Asian American to represent Florida in Congress. She lives in Palm Beach County with her husband and son. (piaforcongress.com; Florida Politics; American Bazaar)
Platform
Dandiya’s campaign website lists five platform priorities:
- Lowering Costs for All Floridians
- Cleaning Up a Broken Washington
- Defending America’s Promise
- Strong Schools, Bright Futures
- Protecting Personal Freedom
Endorsements
The campaign website’s endorsements page has grown substantially since the primary, now organized into six tiers as of Oct. 26, 2026:
- National leaders: U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel, Ami Bera, Judy Chu, Sara Jacobs, Jill Tokuda, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Grace Meng, among others, plus former U.S. Reps. Patrick Murphy, Cheri Bustos, and Annie Kuster, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
- State leaders: State Senate Minority Leader Lori Berman, state Sen. Tina Polsky, and state Reps. Robin Bartleman, Emily Gregory, Mitch Rosenwald, Kelly Skidmore, and Debra Tendrich, among others
- Local leaders: Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, and Broward County Commissioners Steve Geller and Nan Rich, among others (none in Collier County)
- Organized labor: Florida AFL-CIO and SEIU Florida
- National organizations: DCCC Red to Blue program, EMILYs List, and the AAPI Victory Fund, among others
- Local organizations: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, and the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus
(Pia Dandiya campaign website)
In the News
- Redistricting shuffle: Pia Dandiya shifts candidacy to open CD 22, leaving Brian Mast challenge behind. (Florida Politics, 5/22/26)
- Pia Dandiya shifts congressional run from Florida to 22nd district. (American Bazaar, 5/25/26)
- Pia Dandiya announces wave of endorsements in first week campaigning in new CD 22. (Florida Politics, 5/28/26)
- Dems back Amish Shah, Pia Dandiya in Red to Blue Program. (India West, 7/29/26)
- 8 more Broward leaders endorse ‘strong advocate’ Pia Dandiya in CD 22 race. (Florida Politics, 6/25/26)
- Florida AFL-CIO endorses Pia Dandiya for CD 22. (Florida Politics, 7/2/26)
- Pia Dandiya wins Democratic primary in Florida’s 22nd congressional district. (News India Times, 8/19/26)
- Pia Dandiya explains why she is running for Florida’s Congressional District 22. (CBS Miami, 10/11/26)
- Congressional District 22 candidate Pia Dandiya Q&A. (Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News, 10/17/26)
- Wellington mayor crosses party lines to endorse Democrat Pia Dandiya. (CBS12, 10/21/26)
Further Research
- Campaign website: piaforcongress.com
The Race in the News
- Askar, Dandiya face off for District 22 seat. (Naples Press, 10/23/26)
Polling and Campaign Finance Data
As of Oct. 26, 2026, the Cook Political Report rates this race a Toss Up, shifted from Lean Republican on Sept. 25, 2026. The redrawn district, which now stretches from Palm Beach County to Collier County, favored Trump by 11 points in 2024 but supported Biden in 2020; Cook’s analysts wrote that Askar “should have the edge” but called it “a highly competitive race.” No independent public polling of this district was identified as of Oct. 26, 2026. The two published polls, both from Democratic-aligned firms, predate the Cook rating change: Tavern Research (Aug. 10-12) found the race tied at 50 percent, and Impact Research for House Majority PAC (Aug. 24-31) found Dandiya ahead 46 percent to 44 percent.
Casey Askar had less than 1 percent of receipts from small-dollar contributions of less than $200, the FEC threshold for itemized donor disclosure. Seventy-four percent of his itemized individual contributions came from Florida donors; 26 percent came from out of state. Askar’s receipts also included $164,307 in transfers from other committees, the largest being $68,126 from Grow the Majority.
Separately, Alligator Alley PAC, a leadership PAC he sponsors, has raised $6,585 since its formation, with $6,525 available.
Pia Dandiya had 13 percent of receipts from small-dollar contributions. Thirty-four percent of her itemized individual contributions came from Florida donors; 66 percent came from out of state. Dandiya’s receipts also included $425,315 in transfers from other committees, $351,000 of it from House Victory Project 2026.
Separately, Worthy of Our Kids PAC, a leadership PAC she sponsors, has raised $20,000 since its formation, with $12,210 available.
Independent Expenditures
For Casey Askar, four outside groups spent $694,000, led by Civic Renewal Fund at $347,000 and No Going Back PAC at $332,000. One, Club for Growth Action, spent $705,000 against him.
For Pia Dandiya, 13 outside groups spent $913,000, led by Progressive Turnout Project at $396,000. Five spent $6.6 million against her, mostly No Going Back PAC at $6.1 million.
Committee names link to their OpenSecrets profiles. The largest committees in each category are named; smaller amounts are included in the totals. Figures are rounded and as of Oct. 26, 2026. Independent expenditures are not coordinated with candidates and are not included in the campaign finance totals above.
For complete campaign finance data, see the Congressional District 22 race page on OpenSecrets. For more on how to read these figures and what this information does and does not tell us, see the Sparker’s Civics primer, Understanding Campaign Finance Data.
Campaign finance data is from Federal Election Commission filings, cross-checked against source records. Percentages are calculated from the candidates’ FEC reports, and independent expenditure totals combine committees’ 24-hour, 48-hour and periodic FEC reports. See the FEC’s committee filings search for complete records.
This post was researched and drafted with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic AI). The content was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by the author. Both humans and AI can make mistakes. Please let us know if you spot one.
