U.S. House, District 22
Represents Florida's 22th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; votes on federal laws and spending. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Open, newly drawn seat (Rep. Lois Frankel moved to CD 23). Roster from Florida Politics and NBC6: Casey Askar (R) vs. Pia Dandiya (D). No NPA candidate identified; absence unconfirmed.
Candidates
Casey Askar
Casey Askar was born in Iraq and came to the United States at age 7; his campaign says his family fled religious persecution. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps at 18 and later built businesses in franchising (his site cites brands such as Church's Chicken and Dunkin'), commercial real estate, energy and construction; he…
Pia Dandiya
Pia Dandiya, a first-generation American born and raised in Palm Beach County, worked as a public school teacher and became a high school principal in Harlem at age 28; she later served as a White House Fellow and as an Apple executive leading public-sector partnerships in education, health care and state government. …
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Casey Askar Republican | Pia Dandiya Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· stated position Askar's campaign site says Washington's problem is spending, not insufficient taxation; his stated priorities include lowering taxes and regulations and reducing federal spending. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Leans agree· stated position Askar says President Trump's 'merit-based America First immigration policy needs to be kept in place' and lists securing the border among his priorities. A specific position on large-scale deportation was not found. | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· stated position In a candidate survey Askar said human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death, and that embryos created through artificial methods should be protected from purposeful destruction. | Strongly agrees· stated position Dandiya says she supports codifying and protecting reproductive rights and defends access to abortion and contraception, arguing that personal health-care and family decisions should be free from government interference. |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | Leans disagree· stated position Askar's campaign says that as a congressman he 'will protect 2nd Amendment rights.' No position on specific measures such as red-flag laws or the 21 purchase age was found. | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Dandiya says she is running to lower health-care costs; her launch agenda includes 'reducing health care costs.' A specific position on Medicaid expansion or ACA subsidies was not found. |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Dandiya lists protecting Social Security and Medicare as one of her main reasons for running; how she would fund the programs (e.g., additional revenue) was not specified in sources found. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Leans disagree· stated position Askar supports mandatory Real ID and immigration-status verification to vote 'so that only American citizens can vote,' which would add a new registration/voting requirement. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· stated position Askar lists supporting law enforcement among his campaign priorities; no detailed position on sentencing or police funding was found. | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Leans disagree· stated position Askar supports 'unleashing' U.S. domestic energy production to reduce reliance on foreign oil; no statement on renewable energy or utility-rate oversight was found. | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | No public position found | No public position found |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | Strongly agrees· stated position Askar's campaign describes him as 'backing Trump agenda'; President Trump endorsed him in September 2026 and the NRCC placed him in its 'MAGA Majority' program. | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
Casey AskarPia DandiyaHow the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Casey Askar | not enough data | 1.33 (6 statements) |
| Pia Dandiya | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Casey Askar
- Reduce federal spending and regulation — Askar says he would cut federal spending, lower regulations and expand job opportunities, citing his experience employing thousands of workers.
- Domestic energy production — He supports expanding U.S. domestic energy production for the economy and national security and to reduce reliance on foreign oil.
- Voter ID / citizenship verification — He supports mandatory Real ID and immigration-status verification to vote.
- Parental involvement in education — His priorities include expanding parental involvement and educational opportunities.
- Support for law enforcement — He lists supporting law enforcement among his priorities.
Pia Dandiya
- Affordability and cost of living — Dandiya says she is running to 'take on the affordability crisis.'
- Anti-corruption in Congress — She says she wants to 'crack down on corruption in Congress.'Sources: Meet Pia Dandiya (campaign site)
- Universal pre-K and public education — Her launch agenda includes passing universal pre-K and investing in strengthening public education.
- Workforce preparation — She lists preparing Americans for 21st-century jobs among her legislative goals.