Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a Thai-born, decorated U.S. war veteran announced her candidacy to win back President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat from the GOP, in a video released on her website.
"I'm running for the United States Senate in 2016 because it's time for Washington to be held accountable and to put Illinois' families and communities first," said Duckworth in the video. "I will fight my heart out to represent you with honor and integrity."
Duckworth, a self-described “daughter of a Marine, a wife, a new mom, and a combat veteran,” talked about family issues on the video. She mentioned the need for more pre-kindergarten, affordable college loans and tax-cuts for small businesses and the middle-class.
“I believe that together we can build an America that is strong from the ground up,” Duckworth said.
Duckworth is the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman elected to the U.S. House, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand.
Duckworth spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2008. At the time, she was the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans affair. Duckworth served as President Obama's Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In 2013, she ran successfully for Congress in Illinois' 8th district. She is currently serving her second term as a member of the House of Representatives.
In 2004, when her Black Hawk helicopter she co-piloted was shot down in Iraq, she lost both legs and part of an arm.
"I view my time now as a bonus and that has allowed me to speak up without fear," Duckworth said in the video.