Democrats hoping to reprise their tough 2008 challenge to veteran Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young have drawn their first major challenger for the 2010 race. Democratic state Rep. Harry Crawford announced Wednesday that he is running for the state’s lone House seat, which Young has held since a 1973 special election.

“I’m not a partisan politician and I won’t play political games,” Crawford said in a statement. He later added, “It’s time for our state to have a member of Congress who offers fresh ideas backed by new energy and enthusiasm.”

Crawford, a 57-year-old Anchorage resident who was born in Louisiana, first won his state House seat in 2000. He fills a void for Democrats created when former state House Democratic leader Ethan Berkowitz decided he would prefer to run for governor in 2010 than seek a rematch of the competitive race he ran against Young in 2008.