Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer has formally announed her bid for reelection and is touring the state to light the fires of the 2018 campaign.

Fischer’s stops on the tour include Omaha, Grand Island, Scottsbluff, Kearney, and Lincoln.

The senator is quoted in a news release as saying, "It has been the honor of my lifetime to be your fighter, and today I am asking you for the chance to keep on fighting for our shared values as I declare my candidacy for U.S. Senate in 2018.”

In remarks prepared for the tour she notes, "It’s no secret that getting things done in Washington is tough. We all hear the same story of gridlock on the news every day. Yes, our country is divided. And yes, there certainly is dysfunction in Washington – but that’s NO excuse to shy away from the hard work of legislating, and I have not – not once."

Fischer, elected in 2012, is wrapping up her first term in the senate.