An emergency room nurse from Charlottesville is launching a bid to be Virginia's next lieutenant governor.

announced last week that he's running to be the Democratic nominee in the 2021 lieutenant governor's race.

Squire said in his campaign announcement that his biggest political influence is former Lt. Gov. Henry Howell, an outspoken populist who served in the 1970s.

He is the first declared candidate for lieutenant governor. The current lieutenant governor, Democrat Justin Fairfax, has indicated he may run for governor in 2021. Several other Democrats have expressed interest in running for statewide office.