State Sen. Bert Johnson declared his candidacy on Monday for the Democratic nomination to succeed Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., in Congress.

“I represent the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party,” Johnson said to a Detroit audience, per a news release. The statement was a nod to the late Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, who coined the phrase.

Peters is vacating his Detroit-based House district to run for Senate. The 14th District marks safe territory for Democrats, and the primary field is one of the most crowded of any House race in the country. Johnson is at least the seventh Democrat to run for the seat.

Veteran Steve Dunwoody, Lathrup Village Councilwoman Kelly Garrett, state Sen. Vince Gregory, state Rep. Rudy Hobbs, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence and political consultant Jessica McCall all filed statements of candidacy in the months after Peters announced he would vacate the seat.

Johnson ran for the House last cycle in a nearby district.

The race is rated Safe Democratic by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

Correction: 10:09 a.m., Dec. 10

An earlier version of this article misstated the district where Johnson ran last cycle.