(The Center Square) – The fight for control of Congress may be determined by several important congressional races in Florida where one district has tariff policies, taxes and education a dividing issue between candidates.
The Florida legislature passed a new congressional map in April which is expected to yield as many as four seats in favor of Republicans in Congress. Florida’s 22nd congressional district, currently represented by Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., will have new representation as she is now running in the 23rd district.
Pia Dandiya, a high-school principal who was endorsed for the Democratic nomination by Frankel, has focused her campaign on ending President Trump’s tariff policies, lowering prescription drug costs and increasing housing availability.
“Lowering these costs isn’t a choice,” Dandiya’s website reads. “We must make it so people can afford to live, work and raise a family here in South Florida.”
Dandiya also slammed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for its cuts to Medicaid and tax policies. She said she would work to reverse the cuts to federal welfare programs in the legislation and increase taxes on billionaires and corporations to further support the aid programs.
“The fairest way to keep these programs strong for generations to come is to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share — not to balance the budget on the backs of the people who built this country,” Dandiya’s website reads.
Republican candidate Casey Askar, a Marine veteran, differed on his support for tax legislation. He called for the House to pass a Tax Limitation Balanced Budget Amendment, which would prevent lawmakers from engaging in spending to increase the federal deficit.
Askar said this amendment would force lawmakers to address the rising national debt and keep them from adding to it. The Republican nominee also said he would support eliminating the federal gas tax to address affordability concerns over rising gas prices from the U.S. conflict in Iran.
“So much of our dollars spent at the pump are due to federal taxes,” Askar said in a video posted to social media. “One thing that I’ll push for is abolishing that federal tax.”
Dandiya did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication on the federal gas tax proposal. However, the National Republican Congressional Committee tied Dandiya to congressional Democrats vote against the Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation that would prevent AI data centers from passing on utility bills to households where they are constructed.
“Pia Dandiya’s fellow Democrats are choosing the Green New Deal over lower energy costs for hardworking families,” said Maureen O’Toole, a spokesperson for the NRCC. “While Republicans fight to protect Americans from costly utility bills, Democrats keep defending the policies driving those bills higher.”
Both Dandiya and Askar said they would work to pass legislation banning members of Congress from trading stocks.
“Washington won’t start to work for regular people again until we achieve real transparency and accountability to hold the powerful to the same rules as everyone else,” Dandiya’s website reads.
Dandiya and Askar made education issues central to both of their campaigns. However, the issues in education each candidate chose to focus on are quite different.
Askar called for allowing school voucher programs and mandating civics education in public schools. He also called for preventing biological boys from using girl’s bathrooms in school settings and beyond.
“We must educate our children and not allow them to be indoctrinated by un-American, divisive, and socialist education reforms,” Askar’s website reads.
Dandiya called for implementing a universal preschool program in Florida. The National Institution for Early Education Research estimates that it would cost $12,500 per child to implement high-quality, universal preschool across the United States.
Accounting for 70% of 3-year-old and 4-year-old children across the country would total $70 billion annually.
“We’ll invest in universal pre-K so kids arrive at kindergarten ready to learn, fully fund strong public schools and the teachers who power them, and build the job training and apprenticeship pathways that prepare young people for careers in a fast-changing economy,” Dandiya’s website reads.
Askar edges out Dandiya in campaign funds with more than $2.5 million and $1 million in cash on hand. Comparatively, Dandiya has slightly more than $2.2 million in contributions and $1.2 million in cash on hand.
However, Askar took out $2 million in loans to finance his campaign. He received $7,000 from investor Domenic Ferrante, $1,500 from Mark Gladstein, founder of Glad Holdings LLC and $2,500 from Jordan Balaban, a financial controller at Nextera Energy.
Dandiya received $5,000 from the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, $3,500 from Scott Siff, a consultant at Quadrant Strategies and $1,000 from Jonathan Missner, an attorney at law firm Stein Mitchell, Beato and Missner.
Military and overseas ballots in Florida must be sent out by Sept. 19. Early in-person voting is available from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
For more information, visit the Florida Department of State, at dos.fl.gov. For information on other candidates throughout Florida and results on Election Day, visit thecentersquare.com/florida.
