Army vet Stu Barnes-Israel running to replace retiring GOP Indiana Rep. Hollingsworth

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FIRST ON FOX: Army veteran Stu Barnes-Israel is announcing Thursday that he's joining the GOP primary field to replace Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, a Republican from Indiana who announced last week that he's retiring from Congress.  

Barnes-Israel also worked as an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company in recent years before starting a job at the investment firm Citadel this year. The GOP hopeful appears poised to emphasize his military experience in the upcoming campaign. 

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"When I served on the battlefields of Afghanistan, we always put our fellow soldiers and the mission before ourselves," he said. "Today, in our nation’s capital, the only people the liberal career politicians seem to want to serve are themselves."

Stu Barnes-Israel is running for Congress in Indiana's 9th District.  (Stu Barnes-Israel campaign)

Barnes-Israel added: "We have to stop the out-of-control spending and runaway inflation that is wrecking our economy. We have to fight back against government overreach and defend our Hoosier values. We have to secure our border and make our cities safe again."

Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Ind., is photographed in the Rayburn horseshoe on June 28, 2017.  ( Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

In a nod to former President Trump, Barnes-Israel said he supports an "America First" agenda.  

Barnes-Israel joins state Sen. Erin Houchin in the GOP primary to replace Hollingsworth. Houchin announced her bid for the seat last week. 

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Indiana's 9th Congressional District, which Hollingsworth currently represents, leans significantly to the right. Hollingsworth comfortably won reelection in recent years. The University of Virginia Center for Politics rates the district as "Safe R."

Stu Barnes-Israel is running for Congress in Indiana's 9th District.  (Stu Barnes-Israel campaign)

That means the winner of the GOP primary will likely have a clear path to Congress next year, when it is widely expected Republicans will take back the House majority after a tough start to President Biden's term.