He made it official tonight, ending speculation as to which political office he would seek. Clay Higgins wants to represent the 3rd Congressional District.

Higgins made the announcement at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Cajundome in Lafayette. As he now throws his cowboy hat into the ring of politics for the first time, the Cajun John Wayne joins a list of seasoned political figures such as Public Service Commissioner and former Governor's candidate Scott Angelle, former state representative Brett Geymann from Lake Charles and former U.S. ambassador Grover Rees, all three of which are Republicans.

But, those aren't the only Republicans that will be on the ticket. Lafayette Parish School Board member Erick Knezek, President of Acadiana Management Group (AMG) in Lafayette Gus Rantz and retired Army Lt. Col. Greg Ellison, who founded oil exploration company Kitty Hawk Energy, have all already announced their desire for the job, which is currently being held by Congressman Charles Boustany. He's seeking to succeed David Vitter in the U.S. Senate.

It's been an interesting journey to get to tonight's announcement for Clay Higgins. As a public information officer with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, Captain Higgins became widely known and beloved for his spirited Crimestoppers videos, segments in which he certainly did not hold back his feelings against accused criminals and their alleged actions. Not only did the videos resonate with viewers because of its "politically incorrect" language, but also because of his expressed desire to help the criminals he and his fellow deputies were in search of.

Here is the national story CBS News did on "Cajun John Wayne" late last year.

Higgins also connected with many people at his official website www.captainclayhiggins.com (not in use anymore), where proceeds of t-shirts, shot glasses and more with his logo on them were raised to help charities in St. Landry Parish. You can follow his campaign at www.captainhiggins.com.

But it was Higgins' video targetting suspected members of the Gremlins gang, and their family members' response to him, which galvanized more people in support of him. It also brought about his resignation from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office.

Higgins' popularity has grown beyond Acadiana, and even Louisiana, as this clip from The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon will show. At the end of the segment, Fallon asks with a smile "Can that guy run for President?" We'll see in November if enough voters will support him for U.S. Congress.

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