Jim Gilmore formally declares White House bid

by Jesse Byrnes - 07/30/15 7:15 PM ET

Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore formally announced his 2016 White House campaign Thursday, launching a long-shot bid for the Republican nomination in an extremely crowded field.

“I’m a candidate for president because our current Washington leadership is guiding America on a path to decline, and I can reverse that decline,” Gilmore said in a video announcement.

{mosads}”Today we live in a dangerous world that has become more dangerous because of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy failures,” Gilmore said.

Gilmore, the 17th major Republican to join the race, suggested that — like Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) — his campaign will focus on national security.

Gilmore notes in the video that he served as an intelligence agent in the Army during the Cold War, as governor of Virginia during 9/11 and as chairman of an anti-terrorism commission.

“We are not and should not be the policeman of the world, but we do have true national interests and allies around the world who must believe that we will stand beside them and help them to defend themselves,” Gilmore said in his launch video, calling for a policy of “peace through strength.”

Gilmore criticized President Obama in the video for cutting defense funding to “dangerous levels.” He cited other international challenges facing the U.S., including Russian aggression in Europe, Chinese cyberattacks and the recently reached international deal over Iran’s nuclear program.

Gilmore served as governor of Virginia for four years, ending in 2002. He received less than 1 percent support in a Monmouth University poll in New Hampshire this week. He filed his paperwork to run for president on Wednesday.

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