An openly gay politician turned radio show host on Monday announced that he'll challenge California Representative Duncan Hunter for the Republican nomination in 2020.

Carl DeMaio joins four other Republicans vying to unseat Hunter, who is accused with his wife Margaret of corruption. The couple is facing federal charges in connection with funneling hundreds of thousands in campaign funds toward personal expenses.

“The polling shows Democrats could flip this seat if I didn’t run, and we simply CANNOT lose another seat in California to the Democrats,” DeMaio said in announcing his bid. “Here’s the added benefit: we are going to use this campaign as the model for how Republicans can fight back in California and WIN. I’m going all-in on our 5-point Reform California agenda (stop the tax hikes, secure the border, stop Newsom’s socialist agenda, etc.) and we will be aggressive with ballot harvesting and grassroots canvassing. Plus, I’ll still be leading all of our initiatives through Reform California! This will add the power of a Congressional seat to our arsenal.”

DeMaio, 44, served one term as a member of the San Diego City Council from 2008 to 2012. He lost a San Diego mayoral campaign in 2012 and a U.S. House campaign in 2014. The following year, DeMaio began hosting his radio show on KOGO Radio. He has used his platform to continue to advocate for several political causes, including an unsuccessful campaign to repeal the state's gas tax.

In a statement, DeMaio suggested that he could best lead the fight to reform California by unseating Hunter.

“Too many Californians are thinking of fleeing our state because they cannot afford the cost of living and disagree with the extreme socialist agenda being advanced by the Democrats,” DeMaio said. “I refuse to flee – I plan to fight. To take back our state, we need a new generation of California leaders who are willing to fight and have a record of getting reform done.”

Ammar Campa-Najjar, the only Democrat challenging Hunter, asked on Twitter: “How does one 'take back California' from Washington? If reforming California is your goal, shouldn't you be running for statewide office? Makes no sense.”

DeMaio married publisher Johnathan Hale in 2015.