On Thursday, Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) officially became the sixth candidate — and second Republican — to announce his candidacy for California’s 2018 Democrat-heavy gubernatorial race.

Allen accompanied his surprise announcement with an a video ad titled, “Take Back California“:

“I’ve seen our taxes increased to be among the highest in the nation, I’ve seen crime increase in every major metropolitan area, and I’ve seen an expansion of the government bureaucracy at the expense of hard-working Californians and their businesses,” Allen saays in the ad.

“I am running for Governor to make California once again the greatest state in the country, and a place where we all can live our lives, run a business, and raise a family,” Allen said in a press release announcing his gubernatorial bid.

I am running to be the next Governor of California to take back our state for the forgotten ordinary citizens of California, who will no longer tolerate the squandering of our incredible natural abundance of people, economy, and resources by limousine liberals beholden to ravenous public sector union bosses and extremist environmentalists. The citizens of California are tired of being taken for granted, and will no longer accept the California Democrat Party’s hollow excuses for why the world’s 6th largest economy should have the nation’s highest poverty rate.

Allen, who has served on California’s State Legislature for five years, is running against four Democrats: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, State Treasurer John Chiang, and Delaine Eastin, a former state superintendent of public instruction. John Cox, the only other Republican in the race is a Diego-based businessman.

Leftist billionaire Tom Steyer is reportedly also considering entering the race.

Allen is also heading a ballot initiative that seeks the repeal of a 12-cent gas tax hike that was passed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature in April.

He also vowed to help turn the Golden State away from its increasingly unfriendly business environment: “California residents and companies are fleeing our state by the thousands, and those that stay are beset on all sides with the nation’s highest taxes, crippling regulations, and ever more complex laws that benefit a select few.”

Allen was also largely responsible for the passing of an pro-Israel bill that targets the “boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) movement in California. The bill “bars companies that engage in discrimination against any sovereign state — including the Jewish state of Israel — from doing business with the Golden State.”

More recently, Allen led a successful effort to stop California from allowing communists to work in the state government.

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.