# FL-22 (2026) Florida's new 22nd Congressional District is an open seat contested by Democrat [[Pia Dandiya]], a former school principal, and Republican [[Casey Askar]], a Naples businessman and Marine veteran endorsed by [[Donald Trump]]. The seat was redrawn in the congressional map Gov. [[Ron DeSantis]] signed in May 2026: a district Kamala Harris won by more than five points became one Trump carried by about 10. Even so, two of the three major forecasters now call it a toss-up. It is one of four Democratic-held seats the new map was designed to flip to Republicans. ## Where it stands (Oct. 31) - **[[Cook Political Report]]: Toss Up.** Moved from Lean Republican on September 25, 2026. - **[[Sabato's Crystal Ball]]: Toss-up.** Moved from Leans Republican in its October 8 update. - **Inside Elections: Tilt Republican.** No independent public poll of the general election had been published by October 31. Askar has outraised Dandiya, largely with his own money. Democratic-aligned super PACs have reported about $13.2 million in advertising here, against about $8.5 million from Republican-aligned ones (see Money below). ## The district The new 22nd starts in inland Palm Beach County, including Wellington, takes in Parkland in Broward County, then runs west across all of rural Hendry County into southern Collier County and Marco Island. Trump won its territory 55 to 44 percent in 2024; Joe Biden carried the same area 51 to 48 percent in 2020. The old 22nd, a Palm Beach County seat held for 14 years by Democrat Lois Frankel, voted for Harris by about five and a half points; under the new map Frankel is running in the 23rd District instead. The Legislature passed the map on April 29, 2026, and DeSantis signed it on May 4. A lawsuit under the state's Fair Districts amendments is still pending in circuit court, but the Florida Supreme Court declined in June to block the map before the election, so these lines will be used this year. See [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] and [[Mid-Decade Redistricting]]. ## The candidates - **[[Pia Dandiya]] (D)** is a former teacher and high school principal. She launched her campaign against Republican Rep. Brian Mast in the 21st District and switched to the 22nd after the new map made the 21st safer for Mast. - **[[Casey Askar]] (R)** is a businessman from Naples and former Marine whose family fled Iraq when he was a child. He ran for the 19th District Republican nomination in 2020, which [[Byron Donalds]] won. Trump endorsed him in early September 2026. ## How the nominations were decided Both primaries were held on August 18, 2026. - **Democratic:** Dandiya beat lawyer Kaysia Earley 68.6 percent to 31.4 percent (25,628 votes to 11,735). - **Republican:** Askar won a seven-candidate field with 30.8 percent. Michael Carbonara took 19.0 percent, Belinda Keiser 18.3 percent and David Burck 15.7 percent; three others split the rest. ## Money Through October 14, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission reports: | Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |---|---|---|---| | Askar | $7.42 million | $5.53 million | $1.89 million | | Dandiya | $4.62 million | $3.88 million | $0.74 million | Askar has lent his campaign $6.69 million, of which $6.29 million was still owed on October 14. **Outside money.** Super PAC advertising in the general election, on FEC notices received through October 29, 2026: | Committee | Direction | Amount | Filings | |---|---|---|---| | [[House Majority PAC]] | against Askar | $11.73 million | [[House Majority PAC 21.9M House IE October 2026]] · [[House Majority PAC 49.9M House Map IE October 2026]] · [[House Majority PAC 61.1M House Map IE October 2026]] · [[House Majority PAC 70.9M House Map IE October 2026]] · [[House Majority PAC 10.2M House Map IE October 2026]] | | [[Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund]] | against Askar | $1.39 million | [[Everytown Victory Fund 14.3M House IE October 2026]] | | [[No Going Back PAC]] | against Dandiya | $6.07 million | [[No Going Back PAC 29.1M National IE Program]] · [[No Going Back PAC 23.3M Multi-Race IE October 2026]] · [[No Going Back PAC 21.9M Multi-Race IE October 2026]] · [[No Going Back PAC 20.4M Multi-Race IE October 2026]] · [[No Going Back PAC 34.9M Multi-Race IE October 2026]] | | [[Congressional Leadership Fund]] | against Dandiya | $2.36 million | [[CLF 35.1M House Map IE October 2026]] · [[CLF 37.2M House Map IE October 2026]] · [[CLF 39M House IE October 2026]] | House Majority PAC also reported about $45,000 supporting Dandiya, and No Going Back PAC about $65,000 supporting Askar, the other half of mailers it split between the two candidates. One of House Majority PAC's filings lists Askar under the FEC candidate number from his 2020 run in the 19th District; the spending is in this race. No Going Back PAC is a super PAC reported to be backed by [[MAGA Inc]]. ## What to watch - Whether the district votes more like 2024 (Trump by about 10) or 2020 (Biden by three). - Health care: Dandiya has made Askar's call to end the [[Affordable Care Act]] a central issue. - The money gap: Askar's self-funding against heavier Democratic-side outside spending. - The rural west: Hendry and southern Collier counties against the Palm Beach and Broward suburbs. ## Connections - [[Pia Dandiya]] · [[Casey Askar]] · [[Ron DeSantis]] · [[Donald Trump]] · [[Byron Donalds]] - [[Mid-Decade Redistricting]] · [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] · [[Gerrymandering]] - [[House Majority PAC]] · [[Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund]] · [[No Going Back PAC]] · [[MAGA Inc]] · [[Congressional Leadership Fund]] - [[FL-25-2026]] · [[FL-13-2026]] · [[FL-27-2026]] · [[FL-09-2026]] - [[2026 House Races Hub]] · [[2026 Key State Races Hub]] · [[2026 Midterms Hub]]