SAN DIEGO – In November, Ammar Campa-Najjar hoped to become the first Latino Arab-American member of Congress. Though he was facing off against Rep. Duncan Hunter – who with an ongoing finance scandal is embroiled in controversy – he faced an uphill battle. The 50th Congressional District in California – which encompasses parts of San Diego and Riverside counties – is one of the state’s most conservative. And though Campa-Najjar generated buzz and proved to be a challenge, he didn’t defeat Hunter. (He was about three points short.) Yet, just a few days into 2019, Campa-Najjar announced he will run again.

Last week, Campa-Najjar filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, which states that he intends to run for the same seat in 2020. On Twitter, he explained that he was “ready to pour my heart & soul into this race, community organize, listen, learn, and become the representative #CA50 deserves.”

Filed ✔️ official announcement soon.

Thank you to the 125,000 (48.3%) of you who voted for me to be your congressman, I’m excited to run again.

I’m ready to pour my heart & soul into this race, community organize, listen, learn, and become the representative #CA50 deserves. https://t.co/p6nr1u0RwU

— Ammar Campa-Najjar (@ACampaNajjar) January 2, 2019

As he gears up for a new campaign, Ammar has taken to social media to share images of the support he’s received so far.

Thank you all for the support!

First thing second time candidates worry about is enthusiasm. Judging by today’s donations, we still have an incredible army of grassroots supporters. Thank you 🙏🏻 #HappyCampas #TogetherWeCan🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/x72iHsdrXf

— Ammar Campa-Najjar (@ACampaNajjar) January 5, 2019

Najjar made it clear why he decided to run again. “I’m not running AGAINST Hunter,” he tweeted. “I’m running FOR the people. CA50 is lacking the full-time representation it needs. Our district deserves someone who can fully focus on constituents and deliver. That’s why I’m running again. Hope you’ll join me.”

I’m not running AGAINST Hunter. I’m running FOR the people.

CA50 is lacking the full-time representation it needs. Our district deserves someone who can fully focus on constituents and deliver.

That’s why I’m running again. Hope you’ll join me. https://t.co/oP7WnyvZ53

— Ammar Campa-Najjar (@ACampaNajjar) January 3, 2019