Former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who withdrew last year as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department amid workplace misconduct allegations, is running for Congress in Texas, according to multiple reports.
Jackson, a former Navy officer, submitted paperwork to run for Texas’ 13th congressional seat at the state’s GOP headquarters on Monday, hours before the filing deadline, The Texas Tribune first reported. The Texas GOP confirmed the news to HuffPost on Tuesday.
The 52-year-old Texas native is one of more than a dozen Republicans vying to replace retiring Rep. Mac Thornberry (R) in 2020. Democrat Greg Sagan, who lost his bid to unseat Thornberry last year, is also running.
The district, which includes much of the Texas Panhandle, boasts a solidly Republican constituency. Thornberry won reelection against Sagan last year by more than 65 points.
As physician to the president, Jackson raised eyebrows in January 2018 when he gave a bizarre press conference gushing over what he called Trump’s “great genes.”
“I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old,” Jackson said at the time.
Trump nominated Jackson to succeed David Shulkin as Veterans Affairs secretary in March 2018, but Jackson withdrew from consideration the following month amid allegations of workplace misconduct. White House staffers allegedly accused him of excessive drinking and overprescribing medication, which led to some aides calling him the “Candyman,” according to Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Jackson, who has denied any wrongdoing, reportedly retired from the Navy earlier this month. A Defense Department inspector general investigation into the allegations against him is ongoing.
Trump has vigorously defended Jackson against the claims of misconduct, calling them “vicious” and “totally false.”
The White House declined to comment Tuesday when asked about Jackson’s congressional bid.
This story has been updated to include Trump’s comments.