With just over six months left until California voters will cast their ballots in the primaries, one congressional candidate has bowed out of the 45th congressional district contest.
Democrat Aditya Pai suspended his campaign on Aug. 10, citing “a lack of joy.”
“Life is short. I believe one should enjoy their work,” said Pai. “For the past four months, I have not enjoyed mine.”
Pai, an attorney who resides in Brea, announced his campaign in early April, making him one of several Democratic candidates to try a hand at flipping the seat in 2024.
With Pai out of the race, Seal Beach Republican Michelle Steel — who represents the district encompassing north Orange County communities and parts of Los Angeles County — now faces three Democrats in 2024: UC Irvine Law grad Cheyenne Hunt, Garden Grove Councilmember Kim Bernice Nguyen and Little Saigon attorney Jimmy Pham.
While the campaign is going well and raised enough money to be competitive, he said, his heart was not quite in it.
“I love the subject matter dearly: politics, law, policy, government. I love helping people,” he said in an email to supporters Thursday morning. “But at least at this moment, I don’t enjoy the life of a politician. And were I fortunate enough to be elected, I am now certain, I would be unhappy in Congress.”
So far, Pai has raised $139,061, loaning himself $16,917 of that. Steel has hauled in over $2 million while Hunt has raised $170,557 and Nguyen, $151,239.
In announcing the end of his campaign, Pai, 31, cited a “misalignment between the work of a politician today” and three of his core values: authenticity, integrity and intellectual honesty.
“I have been desperately searching for a way to navigate our current political climate in a way I consider ethical and true,” he said. “I wasn’t able to find it.”
And, he said, a stint in Congress would mean losing much of “all God has gifted” him “outside of politics” and the happiness he…
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