Pia Dandiya explains why she is running for Congress
The race in Florida's Congressional District 22 has been largely flying under the radar, which is understandable. It was part of Ron DeSantis's redistricting effort to help Republicans win more seats in Florida. It was cobbled together from at least four other congressional districts and contains parts of Broward, Palm Beach, and Hendry counties, as well as a large swath of the Everglades, and Marco Island on Florida's West Coast. A truly massive district that spans three media markets, it hasn't been getting much coverage because the two candidates are not very well known. The Republican candidate is Casey Askar, a Naples businessman who served in the Marines, and is running as someone who will always support President Trump's agenda.
And then there is the Democrat, Pia Dandiya. A former teacher and high school principal in Harlem who went on to become a White House Fellow and, most recently, worked at Apple, she has made education and affordability among her key issues.
Appearing on Facing South Florida, CBS Miami's Jim DeFede asked her why she is running for this seat.
"I was born and raised in Palm Beach County to parents originally from India," Dandiya began. "And growing up we would visit India often and it was my first brush with the notion that quite clearly all democracies are not created equal. So, I knew at a young age that I wanted to commit my life to service, to pay forward what has been given to me. And that's what put me on the journey of being a teacher and a high school principal, serving high poverty students, working in the White House and working to modernize our tech systems at Apple."
"And I say that in the context of your question because I'm running for Congress because I want to fight for a future that is worthy of my students, and now also my three-year-old son," she continued. "And I'm also running because I believe that we are in an existential moment as a country. And we need a new generation of leaders who's going to roll up their sleeves, legislate for the future, and say no to the nonsense. And if there's anyone who's good at saying no to nonsense, it's a high school principal and especially this one."