Republican Keith Gross has filed federal paperwork to run to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn.

Gross, a lawyer who challenged U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in a Republican Primary in 2024, has redesignated his Federal Election Commission account to run in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District.

That follows Gross telling The Hill on Tuesday that he planned to launch a campaign. He later announced plans on social media.

“I’m running to represent my hometown of Panama City,” he posted on X. “I am running to serve. To protect our freedoms, defend our values, and make sure FL-2 always has a strong, principled conservative voice in Congress.”

When he ran in the U.S. Senate Primary in 2024, he ultimately received only 9.4% of the vote against Scott, an incumbent and former Governor.

During that election, Gross added more than $2.6 million, but almost all of that came from his own pockets. He collected just over $49,000 from outside contributions. Gross ended the cycle with under $6,000 left.

After his Senate run, he briefly filed to run in Florida’s 1st Congressional District following the resignation of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. But Gross ended that bid after President Donald Trump endorsed Jimmy Patronis, who went on to win an April Special Election.

As of the end of September, Gross’ federal account still had more than $29,000, giving him a fundraising jump on others who may enter the race. The loan debt for his campaign remains at nearly $2.5 million dating back to the Senate run.

He will face competition for the seat. Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power told Florida Politics he intends to file for the seat on Wednesday.

Dunn is serving his fifth term in Congress. CD 2 covers parts of the Panhandle and Big Bend. In his last election, Dunn beat Democrat Yen Bailey with about 61.7% of the vote. The same day, 58.5% of voters supported Republican Donald Trump for President over Democrat Kamala Harris, according to MCI Maps.

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