California Democrat Abandons Congressional Campaign Due To ‘Lack Of Joy’ – Then Changes Tune

This is the type of behavior you can only expect from a California Democrat.

On Thursday, House candidate Aditya Pai, who was running for Rep. Michelle Steel’s (R-Calif.) seat, announced that he is suspending his campaign because of a “lack of joy.” 

“I’m writing to announce the suspension of my congressional campaign, Pai for Congress. The reason is simple: a lack of joy,” Pai wrote in a statement, adding “Life is short. I believe one should enjoy their work. For the past four months, I have not enjoyed mine.”

The 31-year-old attorney announced his run for California’s 4th Congressional District in April, according to The Hill.

“I love the subject matter dearly: politics, law, policy, government. I love helping people,” he said. “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,” Pai continued. “I didn’t know that four months ago. I know that now.” 

“My pursuit of office ends today,” he said. “And I am now actively looking for new ways to contribute that are more aligned with who I am. I still cherish what Justice Brandeis called the highest office. I achieved it 10 years ago: United States citizen.”

The California Republican was reelected to her congressional seat in the 2022 midterm election.

However, in a bizarre twist of events, Pai later said that he is not pausing his campaign and said his message was shared accidentally by a “now former” staffer.

“I wrote that letter as an emotional processing exercise after an exhausting glimpse into the political machine,” Pai said in an updated message late Thursday. “I sent it to some mentors and staff for perspective before getting back to work; it was never supposed to be shared. Now that it was, I see a silver lining in your seeing it.”

READ NEXT: Special Counsel Requests Trial Date In Jan. 6 Case