Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal will run for Congress, becoming the first Democrat to enter what’s expected to be a crowded field vying to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

Jayapal announced her campaign and a slate of endorsements Wednesday morning. She’s expected to resign from the county commission because the Multnomah County charter bars commissioners from running for another office during their term.

“We’re at a pivotal point in our country and in our district,” Jayapal said. “With the Republican majority beholden to extremist ideologues attacking our democracy and our rights in ways we’ve never seen before, it’s more important than ever that we have an unwavering progressive voice in Congress to stand up for our values and bring us together to create the thriving, equitable community we need.”

Her sister, Pramila Jayapal, has been a Democratic U.S. representative from Washington since 2017, representing most of the Seattle area. The congresswoman endorsed Jayapal’s run, as did state Sen. Kayse Jama, state Reps. Tawna Sanchez and Hoa Nguyen and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and other local elected officials and community leaders.

Jayapal was born in India and grew up in India, Singapore and Indonesia before moving to the U.S. to study economics at Swarthmore College when she was 16. She received a law degree from the University of Chicago and worked as general counsel for Adidas before running for office.

She said she plans to be a “strong progressive voice” in Congress, championing abortion rights, fighting climate change and polluters and defending democracy from election deniers.