TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former U.S. Navy intelligence officer is running as a Democrat for Congress in eastern Kansas.

Patrick Schmidt, 30, announced his candidacy Tuesday and is the first Democrat seeking to challenge freshman Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner in the 2nd District in 2022, The Kansas City Star reports.

Schmidt's campaign finance director, Jon Ediger, said the candidate moved to Topeka after leaving active duty military service earlier this year. Schmidt grew up in Johnson County outside the district, but five generations of his family lived in Pittsburg in the district's southeast c...