Michael Waltz, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army and St. Johns County businessman, took to "FOX & Friends" Tuesday to announce he's running for Congress in District 6.
Waltz, a Republican, joins Fred Costello and John Ward among others in the Republican field, while Democrat Nancy Soderberg has emerged as a serious contender on the Democratic side.
"I think that as a combat veteran, as a Green Beret, as a businessman, and as somebody who's teed up decisions to a president when I served for Vice President (Dick) Cheney, I feel called and compelled to bring all of those experiences to the table and serve the people of Florida and serve the people of this great country," Waltz said.
Waltz mentioned multiple tours of duty that took him to Afghanistan and Africa, in addition to building a business, Metis Solutions Corp., which he said has grown from 2 employees to 400. He served as Cheney's senior advisor for South Asia and counterterrorism, according to his corporate bio. He has been a FOX News contributor and is author of "Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan."
The district, which includes all of Volusia and Flagler counties, plus parts of St. Johns and Lake counties, is represented by Ron DeSantis, who's announced a bid for Florida governor.