Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jack Bergman announced Tuesday that he is officially running for Congress in Michigan.
Bergman said during the Ron Jolly Show that he was pursuing the Republican nomination in northern Michigan’s First Congressional District after securing 2,000 petition signatures to place his name on the August primary ballot.
"I felt it was time for me to step up and put some rudder into this ship known as the United States and put it back on course," he told the Detroit News Tuesday.
Bergman served as a military aviator, flying as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and served as the commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North. He retired from the service as a three-star lieutenant general.
Bergman also worked as a pilot for Northwest Airlines and runs a medical equipment business.
In February, Bergman told the Detroit News that he intended to run for the seat as a fiscal conservative "who emphasizes education and using the Constitution as the model for developing "good policies and programs that work."
The retired military officer will likely face Republican challenges from Michigan state Sen. Tom Casperson and former state Sen. Jason Allen.
Bergman expressed confidence in his bid during a March radio interview with Interlochen Public Radio.
"Marines don’t come to just kind of finish second," he said. "Marines come to win."
Bergman is pivoting himself as a political outsider who has dedicated his life to serving the country, vowing in a statement that he would offer an alternative to well-connected politicians embedded in Washington.
"Hard work and commitment to being exceptional made the United States the envy of the world, but today career politicians run for Congress simply because they want a raise," he said.