Joe Pittman, chief of staff for now former state Sen. Don White (R-Indiana), announced his bid for the Republican nomination for the open seat in the state’s 41st Senate district.

In late January, White announced that he would be retiring from the seat at the end of February. He was first elected to the seat in 2000.

In a press release sharing his intentions for the seat, Pittman lauded the tenure of his boss and promised to continue his legacy of putting constituents first if elected.

“One of the greatest honors of my life has been working for Senator Don White, and I congratulate him on a tremendous career in public service. He always put the needs of his constituents first,” Pittman said in a release. “I am running to continue a legacy of being a committed, problem-solving Senator who will place the needs of constituents first. I believe the resolution to our state’s financial issues should be cemented in the belief that we must get government out of the way of job creators by eliminating needless regulations, reducing the tax burden and keeping money where it belongs… in the hands of hardworking Pennsylvanians.”

Pittman coordinated White’s successful state Senate campaign in 2000, when he was first seeking the seat and served as his Chief of Staff throughout White’s time in office.

In a release about his announcement, Pittman mentions being a lifelong member of the NRA and said he will focus on the production of the state’s “God-given natural gas and coal resources,” while also placing workforce development at the forefront of his office.

“We must continue to work to create an environment that promotes the responsible growth and production of our state’s God -given natural gas and coal resources,” Pittman said in a release. “If elected, I will also focus on improving workforce development efforts to ensure our children have skills necessary to meet the demands of the new energy and manufacturing economy, providing rural communities with reliable access to broadband and natural gas service, and rehabilitating our existing infrastructure. These are all keys to making sure opportunities exist for families in the region.”

The Indiana Gazette reports that Democrat Indiana businessman Tony DeLoreto has also expressed interest for his party’s nomination.

The special election date is not determined yet.

Each party’s committee will choose their candidate to run in the special election.