On Monday, former NASA astronaut and International Space Station Commander Terry Virts launched a campaign in Texas for the Senate.

In a video announcing his campaign, Virts touted his experience as an astronaut while distancing himself from national Democrats, calling himself a “common-sense Democrat.”

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“After every mission, we debrief, no excuses, just the truth,” Virts said. “After the 2024 election disaster, Washington Democratic leadership skipped the debrief.”

He said Democratic leadership was tied to “the same old bankrupt ideas that they, and not voters, should pick our candidates and that we should run the same old, tired playbook again, hoping for a different outcome.”

He highlighted his background in the Air Force, saying he joined the military when he was 17 years old and saw combat in Iraq.

Virts is the first Democrat to launch a bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in what is shaping up to be a crowded race on both sides of the aisle. Cornyn is facing a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

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The former astronaut said the Republican Party was dishonest and insisted, “Trump’s chaos must be stopped. The corruption is overwhelming.”

His announcement video only mentioned Paxton as an opponent, not Cornyn, who is polling well below Paxton in the GOP primary race.