PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Biden administration official Sarah Morgenthau is running for Congress in Rhode Island, she announced Thursday, joining a growing number of Democrats trying to succeed the retiring Jim Langevin.

“These unprecedented times demand leadership with global experience but Ocean State perspective,” Morgenthau, currently the deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the Commerce Department, said in a campaign video. “And that’s exactly what I’ll bring to Congress. We need to re-emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever, bring good jobs back, fight climate change, expand tourism, and lower costs for families.”

She also worked for the Department of Homeland Security and the Peace Corps during the Obama administration.

She acknowledged that she has spent much of her career living outside of Rhode Island, but said the family has maintained a home in the Saunderstown section of North Kingstown. Morgenthau’s mother ran unsuccessfully for the congressional seat in the late 1980s.

The other Democrats who have officially joined the race are state Treasurer Seth Magaziner; Joy Fox, a former top aide to Langevin; former state representative and one-time chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party Ed Pacheco; Omar Bah, executive director of The Refugee Dream Center in Providence; and former political strategist Michael Neary.

On the Republican side, former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and former state Rep. Robert Lancia have announced runs, while state Sen. Jessica de la Cruz has opened a campaign account.

Langevin announced Jan. 18 that he wouldn’t seek reelection after representing the district covering western Rhode Island since 2001.