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Niraj Antani announces campaign for Ohio Secretary of State
If elected, Antani would make history as the first Hindu, Indian American, and Asian American to hold statewide office in Ohio.
Niraj Antani / Image- Facebook
Former Ohio State Senator Niraj Antani announced his candidacy for the Secretary of State of Ohio, officially launching his campaign on Jan. 23.
The Secretary of State is one of six constitutional executive offices in Ohio and serves as the state’s chief elections officer. The role involves overseeing statewide elections, including presidential and gubernatorial contests, as well as off-year elections. The office is currently held by Frank LaRose, who is term-limited and cannot run for re-election.
Antani, a Republican who represented the greater Dayton area in the Ohio General Assembly for over a decade, outlined his priorities for the role, emphasizing election security and the importance of protecting voting rights. “Our vote must be protected, safeguarded, secured,” Antani said during his announcement.
I am incredibly excited to announce I’m running for Secretary of State of Ohio in 2026!
— Niraj Antani (@NirajAntani) January 23, 2025
Current Secretary of State Frank LaRose is term limited and cannot run again, along with the other statewide Constitutional officers of Ohio. The Secretary of State is 1 of 6 statewide… pic.twitter.com/4N65JSbpiR
Antani reflected on his immigrant family’s history, sharing how less than 80 years ago, they lived under British rule in India without basic freedoms or the right to vote. “As someone born in America, I uniquely understand we must cherish that we were born free people, born with the right to vote,” he said, emphasizing the importance of protecting and cherishing those rights for all.
First elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2014 at age 23, Antani became the youngest member of the Ohio General Assembly at the time. In 2020, he became the first Hindu and Indian American elected to the Ohio Senate.
During his tenure, he authored a range of legislation, including a law granting college athletes rights to their name, image, and likeness (NIL) and initiatives recognizing Hindu heritage, such as designating October as Hindu Heritage Month and creating school holidays for Hindu students to observe Diwali and other religious festivals.
The Republican primary for the Secretary of State race is scheduled for the spring of 2026. Antani is expected to campaign across Ohio’s 88 counties in the coming months.
The office has previously been held by figures such as U.S. Senator Jon Husted, former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, and former Governor Bob Taft.
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