Niraj Antani announces campaign for Secretary of State 

Today, former State Senator Niraj Antani announced a campaign for Secretary of State of Ohio. Sen. Antani served for over a decade as a State Senator and State Representative in the Ohio General Assembly, representing the greater Dayton area. The Republican primary in Ohio will take place in the spring of 2026.

“Living under British rule in India less than 70 years ago, my family didn’t have their freedom. They didn’t have the right to vote," Antani said. "As someone born in America, I uniquely understand we must cherish that we were born free people, born with the right to vote. This is a sacred institution; our vote must be protected, safeguarded, secured. As Ohio’s next Secretary of State, I will do just that.

"In the Ohio General Assembly, I stood with a steel-spine against the political establishment of both parties and special interests who all seek to preserve the status quo. We cannot afford elected leaders who shift their positions as the political winds change, who march to the beat of the drum of the establishment. I never wavered in my pro-life convictions, co-sponsoring and voting for the Heartbeat Bill every time, and co-sponsoring the Life at Conception Act. I voted against every single tax increase, including the $800 million gas tax increase. I introduced the bill to defund sanctuary cities, to force them to cooperate to deport illegal immigrants. Ohioans want a pro-Trump conservative warrior who will be tireless in fighting for our values. As Ohio’s next Secretary of State, I will be just that.

"In the legislature, I led on elections issues, introducing the bill to ban election drop boxes. Senate leadership killed that bill, never giving it a single hearing in over a year. I also introduced the bill to require every new voter registration to undergo citizenship verification, to further ensure illegal immigrants don’t vote. Senate leadership killed that bill too. As Ohio’s next Secretary of State, I’ll continue fighting the entrenched RINO establishment at the Statehouse in order to secure our elections,” Sen. Antani said.

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 elected Constitutional executive officers of Ohio, along with Governor and Attorney General. As Ohio’s chief elections officer, the Secretary of State administers the presidential and gubernatorial primary and general elections across the entire state, and all other off year elections. Former Secretaries of State include current United States Senator Jon Husted, former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, former Governor Bob Taft, and more.

First elected at age 23 in 2014, Senator Antani was the youngest Member of the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House for the duration of his service. He served as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2024 for President Trump, and was the 1st state legislator in Ohio to endorse him in 2024. He served as the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Rules, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Insurance, and as a long time member of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. Among his proudest legislative accomplishments, he authored the state law giving college athletes their rights to their name, image, and likeness, commonly known as NIL.
 

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