Pia Dandiya and Casey Askar Battle for Florida's Open, Coast-to-Coast 22nd Congressional District

Democrat Pia Dandiya and Republican Casey Askar close out their race Tuesday, Nov. 3, for Florida's 22nd Congressional District, an open seat that the state's new congressional map stretched nearly the width of the peninsula, from Marco Island on the Gulf Coast to Weston in Broward County and Wellington in Palm Beach County. The Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up.

A new district across South Florida

Until this year, the 22nd District sat entirely within Palm Beach County and took in coastal cities such as West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Lake Worth Beach. Democrat Lois Frankel held it for 14 years. Under the map Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May, Frankel moved to the 23rd District, leaving the 22nd without an incumbent.

The redrawn 22nd now covers inland Palm Beach County, Broward County communities including Parkland, Weston and Davie, all of rural Hendry County and southern Collier County, including Marco Island, according to reporting by the Florida Phoenix and WUSF. WPTV and WFLX describe it as spanning coastal and inland communities across four counties.

The shift changed the district's politics. Harris won the old 22nd by more than five points in 2024, while Trump carried the new lines by more than 10 points, and Republicans hold an advantage of about eight points in voter registration, the Florida Phoenix reported. Political analyst Matt Isbell noted that the same territory backed the 2024 abortion rights ballot measure, Amendment 4, by about 20 points, a sign that voters there are not reliably partisan. Cook recently moved the race to toss-up.

The candidates

Dandiya, 39, is a Palm Beach County native and Harvard graduate who worked as a high school teacher and principal, served as a White House fellow and later worked as a manager at Apple, according to the Florida Phoenix. Republicans have described her Apple role as lobbying. She had been running against Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast before switching to the new 22nd, and she won the Democratic primary on Aug. 18 with 61.3% of the vote.

Askar, 57, is a Naples businessman and restaurant franchise owner who was born in Iraq. He won a seven-candidate Republican primary with 31% of the vote. It is his second run for Congress; he finished third in the 2020 Republican primary for the 19th District. Quiver Quantitative has estimated his net worth at $176 million. Trump endorsed Askar in September, the Phoenix reported.

Askar did not respond to interview requests from WPTV and WFLX or from the Florida Phoenix, so much of his platform comes from his campaign website, advertising and other interviews.

Self-funding against small dollars

The two campaigns have raised money in very different ways. Dandiya reported $1.83 million raised in the third quarter, her strongest of the cycle, mostly from outside contributions plus about $220,000 in transfers from the Democratic-aligned House Victory Project 2026, Florida Politics reported. She has also loaned her campaign $247,000, most of it last year.

Askar took in roughly $377,500 in donations in the third quarter and added $1.94 million in loans to his own campaign, bringing his personal investment to $4.04 million through September, according to Federal Election Commission records cited by Florida Politics. Heading into the final weeks, Askar reported $1.89 million in cash on hand to Dandiya's $735,000.

Outside groups have poured in as well. A super PAC tied to Trump had spent more than $3.76 million against Dandiya, according to the tracking site midtermmoney.com as cited by the Phoenix. Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund and House Majority PAC announced a $10 million media campaign covering the 22nd and seven other Democratic targets, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a six-figure ad campaign aimed at Hispanic voters that attacks Askar's business record.

Public polling is sparse and dated. A House Majority PAC poll from late August showed Dandiya ahead 46% to 44%, and a Tavern Research survey from mid-August had the race tied at 50%.

Affordability at the center

Both candidates have built their closing pitches around the cost of living. Askar's message, as summarized by WPTV and WFLX, is blunt: "We're paying too much. For pretty much everything." He has pledged to cut fuel and property taxes, raise the child tax credit and reduce regulations. Dandiya told the stations that residents are increasingly vocal about their struggles: "People are no longer suffering in silence; they are suffering out loud."

On health care, Dandiya supports letting Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices and restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Askar has pledged to end the Affordable Care Act and replace it, telling the Phoenix it should be replaced "with a vehicle that works for all Americans," and says he would protect Medicare and Medicaid by cutting waste and fraud.

Social Security has become a flash point. Dandiya has proposed raising the income cap subject to Social Security payroll taxes to keep the program solvent. Askar's campaign has attacked that as a tax increase on Social Security; WPTV noted that her proposal targets the earnings cap, not benefits. Both candidates support banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.

Labels and lines of attack

Askar has framed the contest as a race against a socialist, including in an interview with Newsmax. Dandiya has rejected the label directly, telling the Phoenix, "Unequivocally, I am not a socialist," and describing herself as "a fixer, not a fear-monger." She has also called for ending the Citizens United campaign finance ruling.

Askar has proposed renaming the Alligator Alley stretch of Interstate 75, which links Broward and Collier counties, for Trump, according to the Phoenix.

Why the seat matters

The 22nd is one of four Democratic-held seats the 2026 map was drawn to flip, along with the 25th District now contested by U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz. With Frankel moving next door and no incumbent on the ballot, the race is a clean test of whether the new lines translate into Republican gains. For voters, the district joins suburban western Palm Beach and Broward communities with agricultural Hendry County and Gulf Coast Collier, regions that rarely share a representative.

What's next

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Because the district spans Palm Beach, Broward, Hendry and Collier counties, the result will be assembled from four supervisors of elections. The winner will represent a district that, for the first time, links Florida's Atlantic suburbs with its Gulf Coast.