Brigadier General Don Bolduc told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview Monday he wants to run for the New Hampshire U.S. Senate seat so that he could serve as a “change agent” in Washington, DC, which faces a “crisis of leadership.”

Brig. Gen. Bolduc announced his campaign at the VFW in Concord, New Hampshire on Monday and shared his record of service,  outlining at the same time the need for a change in DC. He said that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) by contrast has yet to serve as a leader in the Senate.

“We’re facing a crisis of leadership. Our leaders are not fighting for us, Senator Shaheen is one of them and if we don’t make a change here in New Hampshire nothing will change in Washington, DC,” Bolduc told Breitbart News.

Although Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire during the 2016 presidential election, the former Secretary of State only won the state by roughly 3,000 votes, leaving populist Republicans such as Bolduc the opportunity to unseat Sen. Shaheen during the 2020 election cycle.

Bolduc served 36 years in the U.S. Army and received two awards for valor, five Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. The New Hampshire Republican also led one of the first groups in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in southern Afghanistan, alongside Hamid Karzai.

After returning to New Hampshire, Bolduc worked as an advocate to fight the stigma and help treat those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Bolduc’s leadership on PTSD has earned him the nickname of “Captain America” and “Everyone’s General” by fellow officers and soldiers.

Bolduc was raised in Laconia, New Hampshire and has three sons, is a grandfather to three, and lives in Stratham, New Hampshire, with his wife Sharon and his service dog Victor.

Bolduc’s campaign also launched a campaign ad here:

Should he get elected to the Senate, Bolduc said he would “focus on getting some leadership in the Senate Armed Services Committee because we need it and we need it big time.”

Bolduc also said that he would focus on improving the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department, contending that he knows the problems that exist within the agency because he gets his care the VA.

“Our veterans are suffering,” Bolduc said.

The veteranl also said he agrees with President Donald Trump that we need to remove troops from Afghanistan, charging that “there’s no reason why we should be in a generational war.”

“Well, first of all, I agree with the president on Afghanistan, we need to remove military troops from Afghanistan, but I also believe there needs to be a plan in place that supports the Afghans. You know we can’t get freedom for them, we’ve taken them as far as we can possibly take them. If you want your freedom you need to secure your own freedom and that is up to the Afghans now,” he explained.

Bolduc said he hopes to go to Washington so that he can shake up the entrenched establishment, charging that he has served in the military as a leader.

“I’m going to be one of those change agents, which I’ve proven to be my entire military career and able to work with others for the greater good and that’s what we need,” the candidate concluded.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.