Brian Mast, a retired Army special operations combat veteran whose legs were amputated after an IED blast in Afghanistan, said Monday he will run for Congress in Florida.
Mast, who served in the Army for 12 years, will seek the Republican nomination for Florida’s 18th congressional district. In 2010, Mast was working as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan when he was seriously injured by a roadside bomb.
“Whether you are in a combat zone, or trying to find a job or a better life for your family, there is plenty of adversity out there that must be overcome,” Mast said in a statement. “Our government should be working to remove barriers to opportunity, not create them.”
“The adversity I have faced in my life has only intensified my desire to serve and to ensure that the people of our great nation have every opportunity to rise as far as their talent and hard work will take them,” he said.
Mast was awarded the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor, the Purple Heart Medal, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, according to this campaign.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy is not running for re-election so he can campaign statewide for the Senate.
A number of other Republicans and Democrats say they will join what will likely be a competitive general election for this swing district seat in 2016.
Watch Mast’s video announcing his candidacy: