Justin Bernier, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, is running for the Republican nomination in Connecticut’s fifth congressional district. Earlier this month, the district’s current representative, Chris Murphy, announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Sen. Joe Lieberman’s seat, which will be open in 2012. In a video statement, Bernier stresses his fiscal conservatism. “Let’s get federal spending below 1998 levels and require a balanced budget,” he says. Watch more below.

Bernier told NRO he was planning an announcement last week.

Embedded video