University of Iowa alum, veteran and business owner Kyle Kuehl announced his candidacy as a Republican for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District on Wednesday night. 

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, announced on Wednesday morning that she would seek reelection in the newly drawn 1st District. At her current address, Miller-Meeks would be in the new 3rd Congressional District with U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa. 

State Rep. Christina Bohannan, D-Iowa City, is running in the district as a Democrat.

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“I’m not running based upon the decisions of anybody else,” Kuehl told The Daily Iowan. “I’m running because I know that the attributes that I have are what the people of Iowa want in Congress, and the people of Iowa will make up their own decision come June on who’s going to represent them in the Republican Party.”

Kuehl, a Bettendorf resident, was a sniper in the Iowa Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. He then graduated from the UI with a degree in entrepreneurial management. He owns real estate company FSBOHOMES Quad Cities and Code Ninjas Quad Cities, a computer coding education center for children.

Kuehl said Congress needs more business owners because they know how to balance a budget and combat veterans because they have been trained to make tough decisions when their life is on the line.

Miller-Meeks spent 24 years in the Army as a private, nurse, and doctor.

RELATED: Rep. Miller-Meeks will seek reelection in 1st District

“I am so proud to say I have absolutely zero political experience, I’m not running to be your politician, I’m running to be your representative,” Kuehl said in a press release. 

Kuehl said he wants to work to reduce the size of the federal government and revamp Veterans Affairs. 

“Our veterans shouldn’t have to fight as hard as they currently do, to get the benefits that they’re rightfully entitled to,” he said. 

Kuehl will made his formal campaign announcement on Wednesday night at Crawford Brewery in Bettendorf.

He said he wanted to promote STEM education in schools and would stand by troops and the police force.

“We go around Iowa, both Democrats and Republicans tell us they’ve been yearning for the next generation to stand up,” Kuehl said of himself and his wife, Summer. “The people of Iowa are looking for a candidate to unite behind and together Summer and I will answer that call.”