Pia Dandiya touts $410K haul in Q1 toward flipping CD 21

Democrat Pia Dandiya is touting another strong round of fundraising after stacking more than $410,000 in the first quarter of 2026 toward flipping Florida’s 21st Congressional District.

Dandiya’s campaign attributed the haul — which pends official reporting with the Federal Election Commission, due Wednesday — to thousands of personal checks.

She entered April with more than $1.17 million on hand, her camp said.

“From day one, this campaign has been about building a coalition focused on delivering results for Florida families,” Dandiya said in a statement.

“With over 12,000 individual contributions, this campaign is showing real grassroots strength and our strongest momentum yet. People across our community are ready for new leadership that lowers costs, expands opportunity, and puts people over politics — and I’m incredibly grateful for the support powering us forward.”

Dandiya’s campaign noted that she has been far and away the biggest Democratic fundraiser in the race for the seat representing CD 21, which Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast has held since 2017.

Through Dec. 31, her closest Primary competitor, James Martin, raised just under $222,000.

Dandiya also carries endorsements from U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, Florida Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, state Sen. Tina Scott Polsky, state Rep. Kelly Skidmore, former U.S. Secretary of Education Anne Duncan, former U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Patrick Murphy, former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, and several progressive groups, including Serve America Pac, Vote Mama and EMILY’s List.

A former high school principal and White House fellow, Dandiya managed Apple strategic initiatives in the Southeast before launching her campaign in June 2025.

She is one of five Democrats listed as running in CD 21, which 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.

Others in the Primary include Martin, Edward O’Connor, Elizabeth Pandich and Bernard Taylor.

The Primary is Aug. 18, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3.