Pia Dandiya wins Florida House seat, becoming the first Indian American elected to Congress from the state
Democrat Pia Dandiya has won election to the US House of Representatives from Florida's 22nd Congressional District, defeating Republican Casey Askar and becoming the first Indian American elected to Congress from Florida.
Indian American Democrat Pia Dandiya has won election to the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 22nd Congressional District, defeating Republican candidate Casey Askar in one of the most closely watched House races of the 2026 midterm elections.
Dandiya, a former high school principal, secured 51.9 per cent of the votes, while Askar, a Marine veteran, polled 49.1 per cent, according to results declared on Tuesday. The race was projected for Dandiya by Decision Desk HQ and CBS News, with NBC News also calling it in her favour with almost all of the expected vote counted.
Her victory is a milestone for the Indian American community. Dandiya becomes the first Indian American ever elected to the US House of Representatives from Florida, and the tenth Indian American to serve in the US Congress.
The seat was an open one in a newly redrawn South Florida constituency, created after Florida lawmakers approved a new congressional map earlier this year. The district stretches from Palm Beach County through parts of Broward and Hendry counties, across the Everglades and west to Marco Island in Collier County.
Dandiya had originally planned to challenge Republican Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in Florida's 21st Congressional District, before shifting her campaign to the redrawn 22nd District, where no incumbent was contesting. She won the Democratic nomination in August, defeating attorney Kaysia Earley, while Askar emerged from a crowded Republican primary.
Her win came on a night of early encouragement for Democrats, who flipped their first Senate seat of the cycle in North Carolina, where former governor Roy Cooper defeated Trump-backed Republican Michael Whatley, and held competitive seats elsewhere.
Other Indian American candidates also recorded wins on Tuesday. Democrat Suhas Subramanyam was re-elected to the House from Virginia's 10th Congressional District, polling more than 61 per cent of the vote, and Aruna Miller secured re-election as well.
The November 3 midterm elections decide all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats, along with 36 governorships, and will determine control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's second term. Democrats needed a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take both chambers from Republicans.
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal congratulated Dandiya, saying she was excited to welcome the third South Asian American woman to the House of Representatives.
Dandiya's background as a school principal featured heavily in her campaign, and her supporters presented her as a first-generation Indian American whose rise reflected the growing political presence of the community in the United States.
Several closely watched races remained undecided as counting continued, including contests involving other Indian American candidates, but Dandiya's result was among the earliest confirmed breakthroughs of the night for the community.
She will take her seat in the new Congress in January, when the balance of power in the House will shape the legislative agenda for the remainder of Trump's presidency.
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