State Rep. Steve Negron is now a Republican candidate for New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District.
Negron, of Nashua, signed candidate papers with the Federal Election Commission on Friday.
In an announcement video on his campaign website, Negron cites his experience as a small-business owner and military veteran. He is a first-term legislator currently representing Nashua's ward 5.
"We are coming back to take our state," he says in the video. "I want to be part of a movement that returns the state to the people, to return a government restrained only by the Constitution."
Former House Majority Leader Jack Flanagan of Brookline and Dr. Stewart Levenson of Hopkinton, one of the whistleblowers at the Manchester VA Center, are already in the race for the GOP nomination.
The Republicans hope to challenge U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-NH, in 2018.
Negron has been weighing a run for months. He also reported about $120,000 in fundraising to the Federal Election Commission, including a candidate loan of $95,000. Roger Wilkins, his campaign manager, said in a statement that Negron would wage a grassroots campaign to capture the nomination and upset Kuster.
The Exchange will review the 2018 congressional races on Monday.
(This post was updated Monday night with the campaign's reported fundraising numbers.)
