Wellington Mayor Michael Napoleone, a Republican, is throwing his support behind Democrat Pia Dandiya in the race for Florida's newly redrawn 22nd Congressional District, saying they share priorities including common-sense leadership and putting people over politics. The open-seat contest, which pits Dandiya against Republican Casey Askar, has become one of the most closely watched House races in South Florida heading into the November 3 general election.
Napoleone, who was elected mayor in March 2024 after serving on the Wellington Village Council since 2016, announced his endorsement on October 21, according to Florida Politics. A commercial litigation attorney who previously served as president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, Napoleone said he and Dandiya are registered with different political parties but share the same priorities, according to WPEC. He added that Dandiya has earned his respect and his endorsement, and that he believes she would bring common sense, independence, and a commitment to putting people over politics to Washington.
Dandiya, in turn, thanked Napoleone for his support, calling him a tireless advocate for Wellington families, per the same WPEC report. She said she and Napoleone believe in common sense leadership that delivers results ahead of partisan politics, and said she looks forward to working with him on lowering costs and putting communities ahead of party politics.
A District Built From Scratch
The endorsement lands in a district that barely existed a year ago. Florida's 2026 congressional redistricting map, passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in May, established FL-22 as a sprawling, cross-state seat stretching from Palm Beach and Broward counties across the Everglades to Marco Island on the Gulf Coast, according to the Town-Crier Newspaper. Former Representative Lois Frankel, who previously held District 22, opted to run in District 23 after the lines shifted, leaving the seat open with no incumbent. The redrawn district now includes parts of West Palm Beach, Wellington, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Greenacres, and Lake Worth Beach, per WPEC, along with reaches into Collier and Hendry counties.
The district spans suburban coastal communities, rural inland areas, and Gulf Coast neighborhoods. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted its rating of the race to a Toss Up in September, noting that while the area voted for Donald Trump by 11 percentage points in 2024, it favored Joe Biden in 2020, according to WLRN. Polling has reflected that volatility: an Impact Research poll conducted for House Majority PAC in late August showed Dandiya leading Askar 46% to 44% among likely voters, while a separate Tavern Research poll from early August found the candidates tied at 50% each, as reported by The American Bazaar.
Two Very Different Paths to the Ballot
Dandiya won the Democratic primary in August, and her biography sets her apart in the race. The first-generation Indian-American, raised in Palm Beach County, worked as a classroom teacher before becoming the founding principal of a majority low-income Harlem public high school at age 28, later serving as a White House Fellow in 2020 and leading public-sector education and healthcare strategy for Apple, per the Leadership Now Project. She initially filed to run in Florida's 21st Congressional District before shifting to the redrawn 22nd following redistricting. In July, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added her to its national Red to Blue initiative, designating FL-22 as a key target seat as Democrats look to flip House seats.
Askar, who won the Republican primary in a crowded field, is an Iraqi-born retired Marine who came to the United States as a child and now serves as president of Askar Brands, a restaurant management and franchising company, according to WPEC.
Money Tells a Different Story
The two campaigns' finances look almost nothing alike heading into the final stretch. Askar has leaned heavily on his own wealth, lending his campaign more than $4 million through September 30 while raising just $377,500 in third-quarter individual contributions, according to Florida Politics' earlier reporting on the campaign's fundraising. His campaign reported roughly $80,000 in cash on hand heading into October.
Dandiya, by contrast, raised $1.83 million in the third quarter alone, pushing her total campaign haul past $2 million with contributions from nearly 24,000 individual donors spread across four counties. Her campaign has said 93% of those third-quarter contributions were $100 or less, pointing to a grassroots donor base rather than large checks.
Momentum Beyond One Endorsement
Napoleone is not the only nonpartisan municipal leader backing Dandiya. Her local alignment also includes endorsements from West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook, Davie Mayor Judy Paul, and Sunrise Mayor Mike Ryan, Florida Politics reported, along with a separate endorsement from the Florida AFL-CIO. Hoodline has previously tracked the district's crowded Republican primary field, including a separate GOP contender's campaign.
With the general election set for November 3, both campaigns are racing to lock down support across a district that now links suburban Palm Beach and Broward communities with rural inland towns and Gulf Coast neighborhoods. For Wellington voters, the mayor's cross-party endorsement adds a local wrinkle to a race already being watched closely well beyond the village limits.
