Former Congressman Joe Sestak, his wife Susan Sestak (left) and daughter Alex Sestak appear together at his Pennsylvania campaign headquarters in 2016. | Matt Slocum/AP File Photo 2020 Elections Former Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak announces presidential bid

Joe Sestak, a retired three-star Navy admiral and former two-term congressman from Pennsylvania, on Sunday became the latest Democratic contender to announce a bid for the presidency.

Sestak, in a video released on his campaign website, drew heavily on his naval career, saying he “wore the cloth of the nation for over 31 years in peace and war, from the Vietnam and Cold War eras, to Afghanistan and Iraq and the emergence of China.”


“Our country desperately needs a president with a depth of global experience and an understanding of all the elements of our nation’s power, from our economy and our diplomacy to the power of our ideals and our military, including its limitation,” he added. “So that, when faced with the decision on whether to use our military, our commander in chief will know how it will end before deciding if it is wise to begin.”

Sestak also referred to President Donald Trump in his announcement.

“The president is not the problem,” he said. “He is the symptom of the problem people see in a system that is not fair and accountable to the people.”

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Sestak said two of his “primary objectives” were “putting a brake on climate change and putting an end to an illiberal world order’s injustices, from China’s control of the 5G network to Russian interference in democratic elections.”

On his website, Sestak also released a number of policy plans on health care, jobs and economic protections, climate change and environmental protections, and other key issues.

The 67-year-old Sestak is a latecomer in an already-crowded Democratic field — his entry brings the number of candidates to 24 — but said his decision to delay his announcement was because of the return of his daughter’s brain cancer.

The former congressman’s late start means he does not qualify for the first debates in Miami, slated for Wednesday and Thursday. The Democratic National Committee capped the event at 20 participants spread over the two nights.

Sestak served in the House from 2007 to 2011. He defeated longtime Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2010 Democratic Senate primary after Specter switched from Republican to Democrat, but lost the general election to Republican Pat Toomey. He tried for a rematch with Toomey in 2016 but lost the primary.