(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Democrat House candidate Aditya Pai announced he would back out of the race for the U.S. House seat in Orange County, California, reportedly due to “lack of joy” on the campaign trail.
However, hours later, Pai sent a subsequent announcement claiming he never intended to back out and the initial announcement had been a mistake, according to the Daily Wire.
OOPS!
8am: #CA45 House candidate Aditya Pai tells donors he's dropping out
4pm: jk, Pai says that was sent by "a now-former aide in error," he's still running pic.twitter.com/RRe5lz1hVZ
— Jeremy B. White (@JeremyBWhite) August 10, 2023
Pai claimed the resigning message was only an emotion exercise, and was accidentally “sent by a now-former aide.”
“I wrote that letter as an emotional processing exercise after an exhausting glimpse into the political machine,” Pai said. “I sent it to some mentors and staff for perspective before getting back to work; it was never supposed to be shared.”
Despite Pai’s apparent “lack of joy” in the race, he explained in his secondary message that his “call to service—not politics—far outweighs the emotional weight” of the ongoing campaign.
“Rest assured: I am here to run, win, and serve you to the absolute best of my ability, come what may, and this has only strengthened my resolve to do so,” his message read.
Pai is running for California’s 45th district, currently represented by Republican Rep. Michelle Steel.
Pai left his career as a trial attorney to pursue the House seat. If he takes the seat he promised to fight corruption on Capitol Hill, work to codify Roe v. Wade, lower the cost of housing for California residents, boost small businesses and encourage illegal immigrants to move to the east coast.
Pai raised just over $139,000 on the trail, most of which came from a personal loan. Two other Democrat candidates in the race included UC Irvine Law graduate and TikTok influencer Cheyenne Hunt and Garden Grove Councilwoman Kim Bernice Nguyen, both of whom raised significantly more.
Steel, the incumbent candidate, raised more than $2 million.
California primaries take place in March 2024. Democrats planned to flip several seats in hopes of retaking control of the House.
