David Friess announced Monday that he will once again run for state representative in the 116th district.

The 51-year-old Republican from Red Bud ran against Jerry Costello II in the 2018 election, garnering 46.5 percent of the vote to Costello’s 53.5.

If unopposed in the March primary, Friess, an attorney and Air Force veteran, hopes to challenge incumbent Nathan Reitz (D-Steeleville) in the November 2020 election. Reitz was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Costello accepted a position with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources earlier this year.

“Nathan Reitz is a hand-picked Madigan crony who voted for JB Pritzker’s progressive income tax and massive increase in spending,” Friess stated in a news release. “He is out of touch and too liberal for the 116th district and I will beat him in 2020. As state representative, I will vote for lower taxes, less spending and term limits on career politicians. I will never vote to infringe upon our Second Amendment rights and I’ll always fight to protect the unborn. I will steadfastly represent the conservative values of Southern Illinois.”

Friess is a Chester native. He and his wife, Miki, now live in Red Bud with their two children, Jeda and Thomas.