Republican Sean Parnell is officially running for a seat in the United States Senate.
Parnell made the announcement Tuesday evening at Cadence Clubhouse in McCandless.
"I'm here to tell you tonight that there is another critical fight where we're going to have to run to the flames," Parnell announced to a crowd of about 200. "We're going to have to go to where the fight is the toughest and that is the Pennsylvania Senate race in 2022."
Parnell is running to fill the seat of Pat Toomey, who last year announced that he would not be seeking reelection for another term.
At Tuesday's announcement, Parnell discussed how 9/11 inspired him to join the military and focused heavily on how he believes his service would translate to elected office.
"I learned a lot of leadership lessons," he said. "I always talk about my time in the military. It was a formative experience in my life, as a young kid."
Tuesday, Parnell was critical of the country's current spending, border security and the direction of the energy industry. He also said he believes the First and Second Amendments are "under assault."
"Many conservatives believe that they're marginalized on social media," he later told reporters. "I think many conservatives also believe that corporate America, in many ways, is doing sort of the radical left's dirty work and censoring conservatives for what they believe."
Parnell, who was backed by then-President Donald Trump, was unsuccessful in his run against Democrat Conor Lamb in a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2020 election.
He was part of a group of republicans who filed a lawsuit over Pennsylvania's mail-in ballots. The lawsuit claimed provisions made by the state, which allowed Pennsylvania voters to submit mail-in ballots without an excuse, were unconstitutional. The lawsuit was eventually thrown out by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Republicans then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case, but it rejected their efforts.
Asked by reporters if he felt the 2020 election was stolen, Parnell said he doesn't want to "re-litigate 2020."
"We did everything we could," he added. "We fought our hearts out, and at the end of the day, Joe Biden's sitting in the White House. He's sitting in the Oval Office. Right now, I'm laser-focused on winning Pennsylvania in 2022.
Parnell joins an already lengthy list of candidates for the Senate seat on both sides, which includes Pennsylvania's Lt. Governor John Fetterman. He announced his candidacy earlier this year.
Parnell is a decorated Army combat veteran and a New York Times best selling author and father of three.