The intern who stepped in and was hailed a hero for helping save the life of then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the attempted an attempted assassination, is running to represent her former district in Congress.

At the time of the shooting, Daniel Hernandez Jr. was a 20-year-old college student in his first week interning for Giffords. He was attending a constituent event with the Congresswoman when a gunman opened fire killing six and injuring 13, including Giffords.

Hernandez kept the congresswoman conscious and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics arrived.

Hernandez is currently a Democratic representative in the state House of Representatives.

I’m running for Congress to ensure Southern AZ continues to have leaders like @GabbyGiffords and @RepKirkpatrick,” Hernandez tweeted. “We need someone who will shut up, listen, and get to work. I hope you will join me and contribute whatever you can today.”

A trauma surgeon who operated on Giffords that day, Dr. Randy Friese, is also running, along with state Sen. Kirsten Engel.