(Editor’s Note: Story updated to add comments)
Naples Republican Casey Askar and Palm Beach Gardens Democrat Pia Dandiya will face off in the Nov. 3 election for Florida Congressional District 22.
Askar led a crowded field of seven Republican candidates, while Dandiya had one rival in Parkland resident Kaysia Earley. Askar garnered 30.85% of the state vote, according to the Florida Supervisor of Elections. Dandiya had 68.7% of the vote.
Askar and Dandiya also won Collier County.
The two will battle it out over the next two months in the Nov. 3 general election, when voters will decide who represents the district in Congress in Washington, D.C.
Where is U.S. House District 22 in Florida?
The new district, redrawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May, crosses the state through Picayune Strand National Forest, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County and includes all of Hendry County and parts of inland Broward and Palm Beach counties.
While the city of Naples, North Naples and part of Golden Gate remain in District 19, Lely Resort and Marco Island are now in District 22. Everglades City, previously represented by District 26 and 12-term Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, also is in District 22 now.
Congressional District 22 currently represented by Democrat Lois Frankel, who is running in the reconfigured District 23.
Who are the general election candidates?
Pia Dandiya
Dandiya’s camp said she wasn’t talking to press Tuesday night but issued a news release.
“Tonight, high school principal, teacher, mom, and FL-22 congressional candidate Pia Dandiya won the Democratic primary election,” the emailed statement said.
She thanks voters “who joined this movement to lower costs, end corruption, and make Washington actually work for us.”
Here is the rest of her statement: I’ve worked in the classroom and the principal’s office, and I know what it takes to show up for people every single day, not just when it’s convenient. I’ve watched politicians try to silence Florida voters, and I’ve watched them vote again and again to gut healthcare and drive up costs for the families I’ve worked with and the communities I’ve served. That’s not representation. That’s corrupt DC politicians protecting their own power instead of doing right by the people who sent them there.
Floridians deserve a representative who fights for the teacher paying out of pocket for classroom supplies, the senior choosing between groceries and medication, the small-business owner trying to keep the lights on, and the parent wondering if their kids will be able to afford a home here one day. I got into this race for my students, for my son, and for every kid growing up in this district who deserves a shot at a better future. Tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow, we get back to work to win in November.
Based on primary questionnaire responses to USA Today Network-Florida’s Palm Beach Post, this is what we know about Dandiya.
Age: 39
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Previous experience: Educator and school founder; White House Fellow working on education and domestic policy; technology and public sector work at Apple.
Education: Master’s degree in Education
Employment history: Teacher in underserved communities; founder and leader of a public high school in Harlem; White House Fellow; worked at Apple partnering with governments on education, health care and public services.
Campaign priorities:
Lowering the cost of living by creating good-paying jobs and making housing, childcare, healthcare, and insurance more affordable.
Strengthening public education by investing in universal pre-K, K-12 schools, higher education, and workforce development to expand opportunities for students and workers.
Protecting economic security and fundamental rights by safeguarding Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, reproductive rights, and democratic institutions.
Specific areas of District 22 would you prioritize?
This is a newly created district and is the result of an unconstitutional and, frankly, unacceptable effort to steal Congressional districts, and this particular district is one of the worst cases of gerrymandering seen since the passage of Florida’s Fair Districts reforms. FL-22 includes Western Palm Beach County and Broward County before cutting across the state to pick up Marco Island and Naples. That said, I am very excited to run in this district because the net effect of this change has created a culturally diverse microcosm of the entire state of Florida.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) issued a statement congratulating Dandiya, calling the battle with Askar “on her victory in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District “a race that will help flip the House of Representatives in November.”
DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement: As an educator and longtime leader in her community, Pia has dedicated herself to expanding opportunity and fighting for working families. 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.
Casey Askar
Askar, 57, emerged from a crowded field that included David Burck, Michael Carbonara, Richard Evans, Terri Hasdorff, Belinda Keiser and Michael Thompson.
Askar didn’t respond to primary questionnaires from the Naples Daily News or the Palm Beach Post.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson said in a statement: Congratulations to Casey Askar! A job creator, family man, and Marine veteran, Askar is ready to work with President Trump and House Republicans to deliver for the Sunshine State. Voters are fired up to send him to Washington, and they’ll resoundingly reject radical Democrat Pia Dandiya, who would be nothing more than a hyper-partisan radical fighting to hike taxes and push woke policies on Florida families.
Askar didn’t return a call, text and email from the Naples Daily News.
The Palm Beach Post contributed to this story.
J. Kyle Foster is a senior growth & development reporter for The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her by emailing jfoster1@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Askar, Dandiya to face off for newly redrawn Congressional District 22
Reporting by J. Kyle Foster, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By J. Kyle Foster, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
