A Democratic House candidate said he was dropping out of the race because of a 'lack of joy.' Eight hours later, he said it was a mistake and is still in the race
- The campaign of House candidate Aditya Pai sent out an email Thursday morning dropping out of the race.
- Eight hours later, the campaign reversed course in a follow-up email.
A Democratic House candidate's campaign sent out an email calling it quits, citing a "lack of joy." Eight hours later, it sent a follow-up message saying he was "not going anywhere."
Aditya Pai is currently running in the Democratic primary in California's 45th Congressional District for a chance to try and unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel.
According to the Orange County Register, Pai's campaign released an email Thursday morning baring his signature noting that "life is short," and that whilst campaigning over the last four months, he was unhappy.
"At least, at this moment, I don't enjoy the life of a politician," the email said. "And were I fortunate enough to be elected, I am now certain, I would be unhappy in Congress."
Eight hours later, Pai's campaign sent out an email with a completely different message: "I am not going anywhere."
Pai told the Orange County Register he only initially wrote the letter dropping out as an "emotional processing exercise," and while he stands by what he said, he did not intend to drop out of the race.
He further noted that the first email was sent erroneously by a staffer, who he said quickly resigned after realizing their mistake. He later told The Hill that only two remaining staffers he has left are the ones who manage his website and keep him in compliance with FEC regulations. Everyone else, he said, left the campaign because of a "misalignment of values."
According to FEC records, the campaign of Cheyenne Hunt, an attorney also running in the Democratic primary race, has about $123,000 in cash on hand. Pai's campaign is currently sitting on just over $81,000, about $26,000 more than fellow Democratic candidate Kim Nguyen.
Steel, who currently represents the 45th District, has a major cash advantage over her Democratic challengers with more than $1.7 million sitting in the bank.