Conservative talk show host Sean Hannity is taking sides in a California congressional race, giving his support to Republican Robert “Buzz” Patterson, a retired Air Force officer challenging Democratic Rep. Ami Bera in a suburban Sacramento district.

“We give you the warmest endorsement we possibly can because you are an amazing human being,” Hannity said during a recent interview with Patterson.

Patterson, who has appeared on Hannity’s Fox News show numerous times, said he was grateful for Hannity’s support in his race against Bera, a four-term House member from Elk Grove (Sacramento County).

“What I love most about Hannity is that he is fearless in taking a stand and exposing the truth about Democrats and their hypocrisy,” Patterson said in a statement. “It’s time for us to get back to conservative values, start putting adults back in the discussion, and halt this lurch to the left.”

Patterson, who joined the race against Bera last month, spent two years in the White House as a military aide to then-President Bill Clinton. But after retiring from the service in 2001, he slammed both Bill and Hillary Clinton in his 2003 best-seller, “Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security.”

He has also written “Reckless Disregard: How Liberal Democrats Undercut Our Military, Endanger Our Soldiers, and Jeopardize Our Security,” and “Conduct Unbecoming: How Barack Obama Is Destroying the Military and Endangering Our Security.”

A regular on the Republican and conservative speaking circuits, Patterson takes a hard line on national security issues. In a 2017 interview with Contra Costa County Republican Tom Del Beccaro’s website, Political Vanguard, he called for the U.S. to strongly consider sending special forces troops into North Korea to “take down their power grid and communications. Disrupt their ability to effectively command and control their military assets.”

Patterson isn’t the first Republican to try to oust Bera from the swing seat the physician first won in 2012, when he defeated GOP Rep. Dan Lundgren, 51-49%. Since then, Bera has faced a series of strong challenges in what has been one of California’s most competitive congressional districts, which includes Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova.

Bera’s 2018 re-election bid was the easiest of his career. He beat Republican Andrew Grant, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, 55-45%.

Campaign finance statements released in July show that Bera has $1.3 million on hand for his re-election bid. Patterson hasn’t yet filed any financial reports.

In announcing his candidacy, Patterson styled Bera as “another liberal self-interested politician who puts himself first, not us. ... I believe in building a stronger military to keep the American people safe. I’ll secure our border and protect the law-abiding citizens of this great nation.”

So far, Patterson is the only Republican to challenge Bera. The nomination deadline for the March 3 primary is Dec. 6.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth