Retired naval officer and former Pentagon official Suzanne Patrick announced on Tuesday that she will challenge two-term Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., in the upcoming midterm elections.

Patrick, a self-described “centrist Democrat,” most recently served as deputy undersecretary of Defense under President George W. Bush, and she said she is challenging Rigell because his policy stances hurt the large population of military families in the Old Dominion’s 2nd District.

“As a fourth-generation military officer, I’ve dedicated my entire career to service — under Democrats and Republicans alike — and I am determined to restore the bipartisan problem solving that prevailed during the Reagan Administration when I first started my Navy career as a civilian,” Patrick said in a news release. “Congressman Rigell’s voting record and his partisanship, especially on the sequester, has made life tougher for the military, families and seniors.”

Rigell is one of the few Republicans in the House who represents a district President Barack Obama carried in 2012. The National Republican Congressional Committee has placed Rigell in their Patriot Program, which seeks to bolster vulnerable incumbents.

The 2nd District is rated a Safe Republican contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.