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State Sen. Ted Lieu announced Friday he will run for Congress to succeed retiring Rep. Henry Waxman.

Lieu is the second candidate to officially declare for the seat after Waxman's surprise announcement Thursday that he would not run again after nearly 40 years in Congress. Former L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel is also running for the seat.

Lieu, 44, chose a run for Congress over a likely safe re-election this year to the state senate. He released a long list of endorsements from across the political spectrum, one of which stood out: L.A. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who last year backed Greuel for L.A. mayor.

"I am running because I love America. But our nation can do better," Lieu said in a statement. "I will fight hard for my constituents in Congress as I have done in the state Senate."

Lieu started his career on the Torrance City Council. He then spent five years in the state Assembly before being elected to the Senate in 2011 in a special election.

Lieu's endorsements include Long Beach Congressman Alan Lowenthal, state senators Darrell Steinberg, Kevin De Leon and Ricardo Lara, and L.A. City Councilmen Mike Bonin and Paul Koretz.

“The calls were quite easy because I represent over 86 percent of the congressional district and I’ve worked with all these elected officials for many years,” Lieu said.

“I’m very honored that they supported me because I do live in the district and have dealt with constituents and the district. I think I’m very knowledgeable about the issues of my constituents.”

Lieu's comment was a dig at Greuel, who does not live in Waxman's 33rd Congressional district. That's not a requirement for Congressional candidates, though Greuel said she would make the move.

Also considering possible runs are Assemblyman Richard Bloom and attorney and women's rights activist Sandra Fluke.

New Age author and self-help spiritual guru Marianne Williamson had previously announced her run for Waxman's seat as an independent. Also in the race is Brent Roske, producer of the web series "Chasing the Hill," which is about a fictional candidate from California running for Congress. Roske is running as an independent.