Jesse Scheckner
Democrat Pia Dandiya is stacking cash in her bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast in Florida’s 21st Congressional District.
In just her first 29 days running, Dandiya’s campaign reported that she raised more than $400,000 — almost exactly as much as Mast raised in the first three months of 2025.
Official campaign finance reports for the second quarter are due July 15.
The “groundswell of early support,” her campaign said, places her among the best performing first-time Democratic challengers this election cycle.
“This moment demands bold, effective leadership — and the early support we’ve received shows that Floridians are ready for change,” Dandiya said in a statement.
“This campaign is about putting people over politics and delivering real results for working families — and I’m honored to have earned the trust of so many supporters so quickly.”
One of three candidates in a Democratic Primary for CD 21, Dandiya is a first-generation American who previously worked as a high school principal and today leads public sector initiatives for Apple.
In her campaign launch last month, she outlined a legislative agenda that includes passing universal pre-K, preparing Americans for 21st-century jobs, reducing health care costs and protecting entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.
She also pledged to advocate for abortion rights and invest in strengthening public education with a win over Mast, a combat veteran who has represented the district since 2017 and closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.
A Harvard and Boston University grad, Dandiya spent Summers as an undergraduate teaching English to slum children in New Delhi and worked in former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s Office advocating for public education through the “I Have a Dream” Foundation.
She began her teaching career as an instructor in low-income schools as a Teach for America corps member before founding a high-performing high school in Harlem, where every graduate earned admission to college despite 86% living below the poverty line. At age 28, she became one of the youngest principals in the nation.
Her success in education earned her selection to the prestigious White House Fellows program, where she served under Presidents Joe Biden and Trump. During her time on the White House Domestic Policy Council and at the U.S. Department of Education, Dandiya worked on issues including child development, school nutrition and access to quality education.
Since January 2022, she has worked at Apple leading public sector partnerships to improve education, health care and government services through technology. She was also appointed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to the state’s P-20 Council, co-chairing its K-12 Computer Science working group to expand digital learning opportunities statewide.
She lives in Palm Beach Gardens with her husband and son.
CD 21 includes all of Martin and St. Lucie counties and part of northern Palm Beach County. The district leans Republican — R+7, per the Cook Political Report — but has pockets of Democratic strength, particularly in suburban communities where education and health care are top concerns.
Other Democrats running include Elizabeth Pandich and Bernard Taylor. So far, no Republican has filed to challenge Mast.
The 2026 Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.
