The son of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) is considering a run for Congress in New Hampshire's first congressional district.
Levi Sanders, 48, the senator's only biological child, told Vice News on Thursday that he is eyeing the seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), who is not running for reelection this year.
"Oh absolutely, I'm definitely considering it. I'm excited, motivated, and interested in the race," Levi Sanders said. "I'm just dotting my i's and crossing my t's."
Sanders, a self-identified "political and legal analyst," served as a senior policy strategist for his father's 2016 presidential campaign, according to his LinkedIn page. He hopes to capitalize on his father's progressive credentials and wide name recognition, bolstered in part because New Hampshire and Vermont share the same media market, to distinguish himself in a field of seven Democrats already running.
The younger Sanders indicated that he would run a progressive-style insurgency campaign, emphasizing his father's platform of universal health care, raising the minimum wage, and free college tuition.
"The basic difference is that I'm a vegetarian and he's not," Sanders said of his father, adding that, despite their similar policy positions, he would run his own campaign.
The Democratic primary in New Hampshire's first district is likely to be competitive, with both moderates and progressives vying for the opportunity to keep the seat in the Democratic column. Chris Pappas, a member of New Hampshire's Executive Council who is seen as the establishment candidate, has taken an early lead in endorsements and fundraising.
The elder Sanders' strong showing in New Hampshire during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton by 22 points, could prove beneficial for his son if he runs this year.
New Hampshire's first congressional district has been a prime battleground between Republicans and Democrats since 2006. Donald Trump won the district, which is marginally Republican on paper, in the 2016 presidential election after Barack Obama won it in 2012.
Shea-Porter took the seat from Republican Frank Guinta in 2016, and the two of them had traded victories in the previous three elections after Shea-Porter served two terms, beginning in 2006.
Shea-Porter announced in October that she would retire at the end of her current term.