Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert Young Jr. said he is running for U.S. Senate in 2018.

Young said he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat held by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat. He disclosed his plans Monday at a meeting of local Republicans in Midland.

Crain's reported in April that Young was being courted to run.

The Midland Daily News quoted Young as saying Stabenow "loves government more than she loves us." He described himself as a black, conservative Republican and said those words are "almost never spoken in the English language."

Young said Detroit and Flint were "proud, self-reliant communities" damaged by liberal government.

A message seeking comment was left with a Stabenow spokesman Tuesday.

The 65-year-old Young was on the state Supreme Court for 18 years, including six as chief justice. He retired in April and returned to private law practice, taking a position of Of Counsel in Dickinson Wright's Lansing office.