--- title: "Dandiya vs. Askar: 2026 Florida’s 22nd District race" url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-fl-22" updated: "2026-10-07" source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim" publisher: "Pluribus" --- # 2026 Florida’s 22nd District race: Pia Dandiya (D) vs. Casey Askar (R) Rating: Tilt R · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: October 7, 2026 Florida's 22nd Congressional District features an open-seat general election matchup between Democratic nominee Pia Dandiya and Republican nominee Casey Askar following the district's redrawing, which prompted incumbent Lois Frankel to run in District 23. Under its new boundaries, the district voted for Donald Trump 55% to 44% in 2024 after previously voting for Joe Biden in 2020. The race hinges primarily on addressing South Florida's high cost of living, property insurance rates, healthcare reform, and government ethics. ## Candidates - **Pia Dandiya** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://piaforcongress.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) - **Casey Askar** (Republican) · [Campaign site](https://www.caseyaskar.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ## Issues ### Economy and Cost of Living Salience: high Dandiya focuses on capping housing and property insurance costs while ending tariffs, whereas Askar emphasizes slashing federal taxes, cutting regulations, and reducing gas and diesel tax rates. **Pia Dandiya:** Lowers costs and eliminates tariffs Dandiya identifies reducing the cost of living as her top priority, with a focus on South Florida's high housing costs and property insurance premiums. She advocates ending costly tariffs, curbing prescription drug and childcare prices, and eliminating price-gouging. - Address soaring housing costs and property insurance premiums in South Florida - End tariffs driving up grocery and everyday consumer prices - Lower costs for childcare, healthcare, and prescription drugs - Crack down on corporate price-gouging and hidden fees > “Bringing down the cost of living will be my first priority.” > — Pia Dandiya, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) **Casey Askar:** Slashes taxes and gas regulations Askar considers tackling the rising cost of everyday goods like milk, eggs, and fuel his top priority. He promises to work with congressional leadership to slash taxes and deregulation, including introducing legislation to cut federal gas and diesel tax rates. - Proposes cutting federal gas and diesel tax rates - Slash taxes and regulations adding to the affordability crisis - Tackle everyday consumer inflation on items like gas, milk, and eggs > “Tackling the rising cost of eggs, milk, and gas is hist top priority.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Healthcare and Entitlements Salience: high Dandiya seeks to preserve and expand the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid through increased tax revenue on high earners, while Askar supports repealing Obamacare and funding entitlement programs through fraud elimination. **Pia Dandiya:** Protects Obamacare, Medicare, and Medicaid Dandiya pledges to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from budget cuts or privatization, advocating for reversing recent Medicaid reductions. She also vows to defend the Affordable Care Act and lower prescription drug costs by requiring high earners to pay their fair share. - Defend the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) - Oppose cuts to Social Security, raising the retirement age, or privatization - Reverse Medicaid cuts and protect Medicare funding - Require wealthy Americans to pay a fair share to keep entitlement programs strong > “I’ll fight to reverse the Medicaid cuts and protect Medicare from a Washington that treats the programs seniors and families count on like a piggy bank.” > — Pia Dandiya, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) **Casey Askar:** Repeals Obamacare and preserves entitlements Askar advocates repealing and replacing Obamacare with an alternative healthcare system for all Americans. He promises to preserve Medicaid and Medicare for future generations by eliminating government waste and fraud, while exploring all options to lower drug and health insurance costs. - Repeal and replace Obamacare once and for all - Preserve Medicare and Medicaid by eliminating government waste and fraud - Work to lower health insurance and prescription drug costs > “End Obamacare once and for all, and replace it with a vehicle that works for all Americans.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Government Reform and Ethics Salience: medium Both candidates agree on banning congressional stock trading and establishing term limits, but Dandiya additionally proposes ending Citizens United and banning prediction-market betting by lawmakers. **Pia Dandiya:** Supports stock bans and reform Dandiya campaigns on restoring trust in government by banning members of Congress from trading individual stock and engaging in prediction-market betting. She also advocates ending Citizens United, enacting congressional term limits, and curtailing lobbyist influence. - Ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks - End Citizens United to reduce big money in politics - Ban prediction-market betting by members of Congress - Establish congressional term limits and restrict lobbyist influence > “I’ll fight to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, close the revolving door and fight the corrosive influence of lobbyists.” > — Pia Dandiya, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) **Casey Askar:** Bans congressional stock trading Askar supports banning members of Congress from trading stocks and promoting full federal government transparency. Drawing on his experience as a business owner who invests in people rather than stocks, he also backs federal term limits to curtail career politicians. - Ban members of Congress from stock trading - Enact federal term limits for legislators - Expose and eliminate federal government corruption > “One of Casey’s priorities is to ban members of Congress from stock trading, and expose and eliminate the culture of corruption within he federal government, including in Congress, that has existed for decades.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Education Salience: medium Dandiya advocates expanding public school funding, pre-K, and career training, whereas Askar focuses on enforcing parental rights, mandating civics education, and barring biological males from girls' bathrooms. **Pia Dandiya:** Expands public funding and pre-K Drawing on her background as a public school teacher and founding principal, Dandiya calls for fully funding public education and supporting teachers. She advocates universal pre-K access and expanding job training and apprenticeship programs. - Invest in universal pre-K education - Fully fund public schools and support teachers - Expand job training and apprenticeship pathways for young people > “That’s why we’ll invest in universal pre-K so kids arrive at kindergarten ready to learn, fully fund strong public schools and the teachers who power them” > — Pia Dandiya, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) **Casey Askar:** Promotes parental rights and civics Askar emphasizes protecting parental rights in education and opposing divisive, socialist curriculum reforms. He advocates requiring civics education and prohibiting biological males from participating in girls' sports or using girls' restrooms. - Protect parental rights in education choices - Mandate civics instruction in schools - Prohibit biological boys in girls' bathrooms - Oppose socialist or un-American education reforms > “We must educate our children and not allow them to be indoctrinated by un-American, divisive, and socialist education reforms.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Energy and Environment Salience: medium Dandiya focuses on climate resilience and Everglades restoration, while Askar emphasizes expanding traditional fossil fuels, nuclear power, and clean coal. **Pia Dandiya:** Promotes Everglades and flood resilience Dandiya highlights environmental issues as cross-partisan priorities in South Florida, committing to fund hurricane and flood resilience projects while advancing Everglades restoration. - Fund hurricane and flood resilience infrastructure - Support Everglades restoration efforts > “In a district as diverse as ours, the problems people talk about most — the cost of insurance, hurricane and flood resilience, the price of prescription drugs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, restoring the Everglades — don’t belong to one party” > — Pia Dandiya, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) **Casey Askar:** Expands domestic fossil fuels and nuclear Askar advocates unleashing domestic energy production to bolster national security and lower reliance on foreign energy. He supports expanding oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, and clean coal production. - Expand domestic production of oil and natural gas - Increase nuclear and clean coal energy development - Reduce American dependence on foreign oil > “We must unleash U.S. domestic energy production to power our economy and national security in order to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Reproductive Rights and Personal Freedom Salience: medium **Pia Dandiya:** Protects abortion rights and contraception Dandiya emphasizes protecting personal freedoms, arguing that healthcare decisions belong to individuals rather than politicians. She supports federal protections for abortion and contraception access and advocates for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation. - Protect access to reproductive healthcare and abortion - Protect access to contraception - Guarantee equal rights and protection under the law for LGBTQ+ individuals > “I trust women to make their own health care decisions, and I’ll work to protect access to reproductive care and contraception so those decisions stay between a woman and her doctor.” > — Pia Dandiya, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Pia_Dandiya) **Casey Askar:** No documented position in our sources ### Immigration and Border Security Salience: medium **Pia Dandiya:** No documented position in our sources **Casey Askar:** Secures border and deports illegal aliens Askar advocates securing U.S. borders and points of entry while continuing deportations of criminal illegal aliens. He favors maintaining a merit-based immigration policy and protecting law enforcement officers from activist judges and prosecutors. - Deport criminal illegal aliens and secure all U.S. points of entry - Maintain merit-based immigration policies - Protect law enforcement officers from activist prosecutors > “We must continue to deport criminal illegal aliens and secure our borders, and all Points of Entry into the U.S.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Foreign Policy and National Security Salience: medium **Pia Dandiya:** No documented position in our sources **Casey Askar:** Counters China and modernizes military Askar supports pushing back against Communist Chinese influence globally and in the Western Hemisphere. He advocates modernizing the military under President Trump's 'peace through strength' doctrine while coordinating with global allies to protect democratic values. - Counter Communist Chinese aggression in the Western Hemisphere - Fund and modernize the U.S. military - Pursue Donald Trump's America First 'peace through strength' foreign policy - Coordinate with global allies to defend shared democratic values > “The U.S. must continue to push back against the Communist Chinese aggression in the Western Hemisphere and against our American interests around the world.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ### Election Integrity Salience: medium **Pia Dandiya:** No documented position in our sources **Casey Askar:** Requires Real ID and citizenship check Askar calls for mandatory Real ID and immigration status verification for all voters to guarantee that only American citizens vote. He also vows to protect election systems from foreign interference by China and Russia. - Require mandatory Real ID and immigration status checks for voting - Ensure only American citizens vote in elections - Protect election systems from foreign threats like China and Russia > “Mandatory Real ID and immigration status verification to vote to protect our elections, so that only American citizens can vote.” > — Casey Askar, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Casey_Askar) ## Polls and markets _Updated Oct 31._ - [Polymarket](https://polymarket.com/event/fl-22-house-election-winner) — FL-22 House Election Winner: Democrats 72.5%, Republicans 26.5% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXHOUSERACE-FL22-26) — FL-22 House winner?: Pia Dandiya 70.0%, Casey Askar 28.0% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXFLPRIMARY-22R26) — FL-22 Republican nominee?: Casey Askar 99.0%, Michael Carbonara 1.0%, Antonio Srado 1.0% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXFLPRIMARY-22D26) — FL-22 Democratic nominee?: Pia Dandiya 99.0%, Ian Blake 3.0%, Kaysia Earley 1.0% [View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-fl-22)