A member of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) administration is hoping to become the first female Marine Corps veteran to be elected to Congress, and she is attempting to flip a coveted blue seat in the process.

Aliscia Andrews, the deputy secretary of homeland security for the Commonwealth of Virginia, announced her decision to enter the race for the 10th Congressional District. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), who currently represents the district, said she would not seek reelection. 

Andrews said her experience as an intelligence analyst in the Marine Corps helped shape her into the leader she is today and that she wants to help fix certain problems related to national security, education, and the economy.

“It’s more expensive now to live than ever before,” Andrews told Fox News. “Families are having to make hard decisions when it comes to their mortgages, when it comes to their groceries, when it comes to their childcare. It’s impacting us on every single level, and it’s not some MSNBC talking point.”

She added that she is the best person to help the district because she has been listening to what families are telling her most affects them.

The congressional hopeful also lambasted the federal response to the fentanyl crisis, “reckless spending” in Washington, D.C., the border crisis, and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Andrews joins a crowded GOP primary in which six other candidates have already entered. The race marks the third time Andrews has run for Congress, but the first since 2020. 

The 10th Congressional District has shifted to the left over the years, and no Republican has won the seat since 2016.