Retired Army Maj. Gen Jerry Cannon officially announced on Tuesday that he will challenge Republican Rep. Dan Benishek in Michigan’s 1st District.

“Throughout my military and law enforcement careers I have lived the values of sacrifice and service everyday. People have counted on me to step up, serve our community and protect our way of life in northern Michigan. I’m ready to answer that call again,” Cannnon said in a news release.

CQ Roll Call previously reported that a Cannon announcement was imminent.

Benishek won re-election by 2,300 votes — less than 1 percentage point.

Cannon served in Vietnam in the late 1960s and he went on to begin a career in local law enforcement in 1970, according to a local profile. He later enlisted in the National Guard and became Kalkaska County sheriff in 1987. In the last decade, Cannon served in Guantánamo Bay and Iraq.