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
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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 Would slash 'overburdening taxes and regulations'. | Leans disagree· stated position Dandiya says she would raise taxes on billionaires and corporations to support social programs and opposes the cuts in the 2025 'One Big Beautiful Bill'; her website says the fairest way to keep programs strong is to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay more rather than balance the budget on working people. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Would take on housing, insurance and everyday costs squeezing South Florida families. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly agrees· stated position Would keep deporting 'criminal illegal aliens' and secure the borders and ports of entry. | 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 Supports reproductive rights. |
| 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). | Strongly disagrees· stated position Would end Obamacare and replace it, while cutting waste to preserve Medicare and Medicaid. | Leans agree· stated position Would protect Medicaid coverage. |
| 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 Pledges to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Strongly agrees· stated position Says parents should ultimately decide how to educate their children. | 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 | Leans agree· stated position Supports Everglades restoration. |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Leans disagree· stated position Supports Real ID requirements for voting. | 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. | Strongly agrees· stated position Says 'biological boys do not belong in girl's bathrooms' and opposes 'divisive' education reforms. | Leans disagree· stated position Supports LGBTQ+ equality. |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Wants to expand oil, natural gas, nuclear and clean-coal production. | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Dandiya has made ending President Trump's tariff policies a focus of her campaign. |
| 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 Pledges to work alongside President Trump on an America First agenda. | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Lists protecting veterans among her priorities. |
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.
How 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), Teacher and staff pay (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), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Casey Askar | 2.00 (3 statements) | 1.63 (8 statements) |
| Pia Dandiya | -1.25 (4 statements) | -1.33 (3 statements) |
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.
- Balanced budget amendment, federal gas tax, stock trading, schools — Askar calls for a Tax Limitation Balanced Budget Amendment, supports abolishing the federal gasoline tax, supports school vouchers and mandatory civics education, would bar 'biological boys' from girls' bathrooms, and supports a ban on congressional stock trading.
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.
- Public schools, drug costs, stock trading — Dandiya proposes universal pre-K and fully funding public schools and teachers, supports lowering prescription drug costs, and supports a ban on congressional stock trading.
- Race rating moves — Fox News moved the open seat from 'Lean R' to 'Toss-up' on Sept. 22, and on Sept. 25 the Cook Political Report also opened it as a clear 'Toss Up.'
- Community roundtable with national Democrats — DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene held a community roundtable with Dandiya in Davie on Sept. 25 alongside Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich, Broward School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi and other local Democrats.
- Share of a $10 million Everytown and House Majority PAC advertising campaign — Everytown for Gun Safety's Victory Fund and House Majority PAC said on Oct. 6 that Dandiya is one of eight congressional candidates in five battleground states who will receive television and digital advertising support from a combined $10 million campaign. Dandiya has volunteered with Moms Demand Action. Florida Politics said Everytown did not immediately provide her share of the spending.
- Second general-election ad, 'Wrong,' on congressional stock trading — In an ad released Sept. 29 Dandiya pledged to fight to ban members of Congress from trading stocks and to work to lower health care costs, protect Social Security and Medicare and pass a middle-class tax cut. 'Congress is getting rich off their office while we get hit with rising costs,' she says in the spot.
- Scrutiny of her biography and Apple lobbying work — Florida Politics reported on Oct. 4 that Dandiya, whose biography describes her first as a teacher and high school principal, was registered as a lobbyist for Apple, earning more than $121,000 in the first five months of 2025 and almost $236,000 in 2024, and that her disclosures show a net worth of as much as $12.7 million. The Republican Party of Florida and the super PAC Stronger America Together, which has reported $63,638 in spending against her, criticized her over data centers. Her campaign said her Apple work focused on getting technology into classrooms and that she taught and ran schools for a decade.
- Canvass launch with Jamie Raskin — Dandiya opened a canvass in Wellington at noon on Saturday, Oct. 3 with U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Laura Jolly, House Democratic Leader-designate Christine Hunschofsky and two local Democratic candidates.
- Q3 fundraising announcement — Dandiya's campaign said Q3 was its strongest quarter, that nearly 24,000 people have contributed this cycle and that 93% of contributions were $100 or less; she said her message is 'lowering everyday costs, cracking down on corruption, and protecting your hard-earned benefits.'