Former State Sen. Bill Hightower (R-Mobile) is running to represent Alabama’s First Congressional District on Capitol Hill.

Hightower made the announcement in a fundraising email on Tuesday morning. He ran in the Republican gubernatorial primary in the 2018 cycle, finishing fourth with five percent of the vote.

The seat is currently held by Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL). State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) and Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl have already announced their Republican candidacies for the southwest Alabama congressional seat.

In his email, Hightower said, “South Alabama has given me and my family so much, I cannot sit on the sidelines as our nation is facing so many challenges.”

“Radical liberals like Nancy Pelosi and AOC are taking us down a dangerous path of socialized medicine, open borders, and socialism. We cannot allow them to fundamentally transform our great country,’” he continued.

“The people of South Alabama need a conservative congressman who will fight for us each and every day in Congress to make sure our priorities and our values are represented,” Hightower concluded. “I will proudly stand with President Trump’s efforts to continue growing our economy, cut wasteful government spending that is bankrupting future generations, and defend the sanctity and dignity of each and every life.”

He has also launched a campaign website.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn