Niraj Antani suspends Ohio treasurer campaign

Houston, Feb 5 (PTI) Former Ohio State Senator Niraj Antani, a prominent Indian American Republican leader, has suspended his campaign for Ohio State Treasurer citing the growing dominance of self-funded candidates in US politics and said he will not seek any public office in the 2026 election.

Antani said one of his opponents had already injected USD 1.5 million of personal funds into the race and was expected to spend significantly more.

Referring to his 2024 US congressional race, Antani said he had raised more funds than all his opponents combined but lost to a millionaire self-funded candidate, making it difficult to justify seeking further contributions from supporters under similar circumstances.

"I cannot ask my supporters to fund a campaign that would face the same reality," Antani said in a statement, adding that his commitment to public service would continue.

Antani served in the Ohio General Assembly from 2014 to 2020, representing districts in both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.

He was the youngest member of each chamber during his tenure and became the first Indian American to serve as an Ohio state senator, a milestone closely followed by the Indian diaspora in the United States. PTI RUK RUK