A retired Navy rear admiral and one-time cabinet official nominee is running in 2020 for the seat of the outgoing House Armed Services Committee (HASC) ranking member.
Ronny Jackson, who most recently served as the physician to the President from 2013 to 2018, filed to run as the Republican nominee for Texas’ 13th District Dec. 9, the Texas Tribune first reported Monday. Jackson had been mulling a run for Congress for several months, according to reports. A verified Twitter account for Jackson’s campaign was created earlier this month.
Jackson joins at least a dozen other candidates who are vying to fill the seat of Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), who on Sept. 30 announced his plans to retire from Congress next year. Thornberry previously served as the HASC chairman from 2015 to 2019, and currently serves as ranking member.
President Trump nominated Jackson, a 24-year Navy veteran, to become the next secretary of Veterans’ Affairs this past March. However, Jackson withdrew his nomination in April amid allegations that he inappropriately dispensed medications and contributed to a hostile work environment. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee opened an investigation into those allegations.