Indian-American Pia Dandiya wins US House of Representatives from Florida, defeats Republican Casey Askar
Indian-American Democrat Pia Dandiya has won the election to the US House of Representatives from Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, defeating Republican candidate Casey Askar. Dandiya, a former high school principal, secured 51.9 per cent of the votes, while Askar received 49.1 per cent, according to US midterm election results declared on Tuesday.
Pia Dandiya becomes first Indian American to be elected from Florida
With the victory, Dandiya becomes the newest Indian American woman elected to the US Congress.
Notably, Dandiya’s victory marks a significant milestone for the Indian-American community as she becomes the first Indian American to be elected to the US House of Representatives from Florida and the 10th Indian American to serve in the US Congress, according to reports.
Born to parents who migrated to the US from India, Dandiya had initially planned to challenge Republican Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in Florida’s 21st Congressional District.
However, the former high school principal later shifted her campaign to Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, a newly created constituency following redistricting where no incumbent was contesting the election.
“Florida’s 22nd District was one of the most competitive districts for Democrats, and Pia just turned it blue,” Chintan Patel, Executive Director, Indian American Impact, said in a statement, cited by PTI.
“Indian American Impact has been proud to support her from the beginning, and we congratulate her on her victory tonight,” he added.
Who is Pia Dandiya?
According to her campaign website, Dandiya is a first-generation American who has focused her career on strengthening communities through her work as a high school principal, policy leader, and technology innovator.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida, Dandiya began her career as a teacher before serving as a high school principal in Harlem, New York. She later founded a high school aimed at improving opportunities for low-income students and helping them achieve economic independence.
The campaign website states that every graduate of the school secured admission to college, despite 86 per cent of its students coming from low-income households. Dandiya became the school’s founding principal at the age of 28, making her one of the youngest high school principals in the country.
Suhas Subramanyam re-elected as US Congressman from Virginia
Meanwhile, Indian American Democrat Suhas Subramanyam has been re-elected to the US House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. Subramanyam, 40, secured over 61.5 per cent of the votes, defeating Republican challenger Dave Beckwith, who received 36.4 per cent.
Subramanyam previously served as an adviser to former US President Barack Obama.
Who is Suhas Subramanyam?
Born in Houston to Indian parents, he developed an interest in public service while studying at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he helped organise volunteers to rebuild communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Subramanyam served on Capitol Hill as a policy aide, where he worked to expand and improve health care access to millions of Americans, helped build a bipartisan coalition in support of immigration reform, and drafted legislation to increase job opportunities and funding for veterans, seniors, and working families.
After earning his law degree with honours at Northwestern University, Subramanyam served as a White House technology policy advisor to President Obama.
After a stint in the White House, Subramanyam started his own small business in Loudoun County and also served as a volunteer EMT and firefighter.
He was elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2019 and served for two terms. Subramanyam was also a member of the Virginia State Senate before being elected to the US House of Representatives in 2024.
(With PTI inputs)
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