Emergency Rooster: Niraj exits Statehouse, eyes Congress
Emergency Rooster: Niraj exits Statehouse, eyes Congress
An emergency dispatch from special correspondent Max Littman.
This is an emergency dispatch from Max Littman, special correspondent to The Rooster.
State Senator Niraj Antani (R-Sewer) is exiting the Statehouse.
This development will send shockwaves across the City of Columbus, most notably the nightclubs he frequents and former state legislative pages.
Reports from the Patriots Caucus indicate that Antani will be declaring his candidacy for the recently opened OH-2 Congressional seat soon to be vacated by the retiring Brad Wenstrup.
Antani does not currently live in the district. However, he doesn’t need to live in the district to run for Congress, and he could easily move into the district. Antani did not immediately return a text from The Rooster for comment.
A high-ranking Patriots Caucus member initially reported that Antani would face State Rep. Brian Stewart in the primary. Stewart has attempted to run for Congress before, and we’re told he was calling elected officials and donors over the last 24 hours.
Stewart must have gotten bad news on all fronts because he refuted the report and staked himself to not being a candidate:
Credit to cleveland.com reporter Jeremy Pelzer for having Stewart’s decision not to run first.
Sadly, Stewart’s cowardice deprived us of what would have been an all-time primary from a content perspective as neither Stewart or Antani are liked by their Republican Statehouse colleagues.
In fact, the Senate Republican Caucus forced Antani’s hand on the issue by drawing him into a Biden +14 District, which is basically unwinnable for a Republican, especially in a presidential year.
One Republican source told The Rooster that they would be shocked if the Republican Senate Caucus “gave $10” to Antani’s re-election bid.
Needless to say, this is the end of an era in Statehouse politics with Antani exiting stage left. As of now, his path to Congress is clearer than it’s ever been, though he’ll almost assuredly get some Republican challengers who aren’t Lil Brian Stewart.
But until that’s known for sure, let’s take a moment to recap some Great Antani Moments in Rooster History:
There was the time that DJ almost fought Niraj at High Beck Tavern
Niraj’s first inclusion on the now-infamous Bust Up List
The time DJ asked Niraj about his weekend activities at the now shuttered Columbus bar, See Saw
When Niraj gave Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Hell) some political advice
The time that I caught Niraj Antani wining and dining a Koch Industries lobbyist by taking her on soccer stadium tours
Niraj having an extremely rare good position on NIL deals, and cursing Ohio State Head Football Coach Ryan Day forever by being photographed with him
When the Patriots Caucus decided to let the senator have his moment,