A Republican former state lawmaker who lost his bid for Congress wants to be Ohio's next secretary of state. And a Democratic cancer doctor from the Cincinnati area thinks the office has been misused and he has the prescription to fix it.
On the Republican side: former Sen. Niraj Antani
Former Sen. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) served in the legislature for a decade, first in the House and then as a senator. He was the first Indian-American and the first Hindu to serve in the Senate. But his district lines were redrawn in the latest round of redistricting to favor Democrats. Last year, instead of running for re-election, he decided to run for Congress after incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup announced he wouldn't run again. He came in tenth in an 11-person Republican primary.
In announcing his decision to run for secretary of state, Antani said he would be a “pro Trump warrior.”
“I have a special appreciation for our right to vote, for its sacredness and the fact that we have to protect it,” Antani said.
While in the legislature, Antani supported unsuccessful bills to ban ballot drop boxes and require citizens to prove their citizenship before casting ballots. As secretary of state, Antani said he would not allow transgender candidates for office to use names that are not on their birth certificates.
“I believe there are two sexes – men and women. And we should be using people’s legal names on the ballot,” Antani said.
Antani may not be the only Republican running for the office. Sen Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) is also exploring a bid.
On the Democratic side: Dr. Bryan Hambley
Dr. Bryan Hambley is a leukemia doctor from the Cincinnati area and a political newcomer. He said he made the decision to run last year when he was volunteering for the failed redistricting amendment.
“We saw first hand the importance of the secretary of state’s role when our secretary of state wrote dishonest ballot language to get his own way in an election,” Hambley said.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote the ballot summary language that was adopted by Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board. LaRose has defended the language but many voters said the language was misleading, and even Ohio Republican Party chair Alex Triantafilou admitted voters may have been confused, but that "confusing Ohioans was not such a bad strategy".
Hambley said he will “restore democracy” to the secretary of state’s office.
"My job doesn’t end at the hospital door and really caring for my community and improving things like public health and public policy really requires a democracy that’s working for people,” Hambley said.
Hambley said he plans to campaign all over Ohio and believes he can raise enough money to be competitive.
The last Democrat elected secretary of state was Jennifer Brunner, in 2006. She's now the only Democrat elected to statewide office in Ohio. Other than Brunner's four year term, Republicans have occupied the secretary of state's office since 1991, after Bob Taft beat incumbent Sherrod Brown.
