Louie Gohmert, a member of the Republican party, announced that he will be joining the race for Texas‘ office of Attorney General, a competition that is already too crowded and closely watched. The American lawmaker will be going against Ken Paxton, who currently occupies the position.

The GOP Representative from Texas, who has been part of the United States Congress since 2005, announced that he had already raised a sum of $1 million in order to go through with his bid for the statewide elected office.

Gohmert, who is 68 years old, said in a prerecorded message on his social media handles, “A priority will be election integrity so that every legal vote counts”, while announcing his participation.

He added, “If you allow me, I will not wait to be my busiest until after there’s some bad press about legal improprieties. I will start boldly protecting your rights on day one.”

Paxton, who is also a member of the Republican party, is currently being probed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on allegations linked to abuse of office. However, the current Attorney General of the Lone Star State has denied any wrongdoing, according to reports from NBC News.

Gohmert also seemed to go hard on issues related to immigration and mandates related to COVID-19 in the state– both topics that are considered crucial in Texas politics. 

He said, “Unconstitutional mandates will not be tolerated from anyone — parental consent is still an important concept in America, and especially in Texas. The invasion across our Southern border has to stop, but they are still pouring in.”

Also running in the Republican primary are Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and grandson of former President George H.W. Bush and ex-state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.

(With AP inputs)