Jeremy Staat, a former Bakersfield High and Bakersfield College standout athlete who went on to play four seasons in the NFL, is running for Congress, his campaign representative confirmed Wednesday.

Staat will seek the 8th Congressional District seat now held by Paul Cook, a Republican from Yucca Valley who announced this week he is not seeking reelection. Staat, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq, was registered as No Party Preference as recently 2016 but will run as a Republican.

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