The former high school principal secured 51.9 per cent of the votes to become the newest Indian-American US congresswoman.
Indian-American Pia Dandiya won the election to the US House of Representatives from Florida’s 22nd congressional district, according to reports by The Tribune, Rediff and Business Standard. Results declared on Tuesday show Dandiya secured 51.9 per cent of the votes.
Dandiya defeated her opponent, Marine veteran Casey Askar, who polled 49.1 per cent of the votes. The 22nd district was considered one of the most competitive districts for Democrats.
Chintan Patel, Executive Director of Indian American Impact, said in a statement that Dandiya turned the district blue. He added that the organisation had supported her from the beginning.
A first-generation American born in Palm Beach County, Dandiya is a former high school principal and policy leader. She previously sought to challenge Republican Brian Mast, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in Florida’s 21st district.
Dandiya's campaign website states she founded a high school where every graduate earned admission to college, despite 86 per cent of students living in low-income households. She served as a founding principal at the age of 28.
