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You are here: Home / 2024 Campaign / Candidate Ends Campaign Citing ‘Lack of Joy’
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Candidate Ends Campaign Citing ‘Lack of Joy’

August 10, 2023 at 5:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Democratic House candidate Aditya Pai — running for Rep. Michelle Steel’s (R-CA) seat — announce that he is suspending his campaign, The Hill reports.

Said Pai: “The reason is simple: a lack of joy. Life is short. I believe one should enjoy their work. For the past four months, I have not enjoyed mine.”

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

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Filed Under: 2024 Campaign


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goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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