Virginia Del. Mark Levine on Monday announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor, joining a roster of nearly a dozen candidates vying for the position.

Levine, a 54-year-old Democrat from Alexandria, has served in the state’s House of Delegates since 2016 and represents parts of Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the city of Alexandria. He would be both the first openly LGBTQ+ officeholder elected statewide and the first Jewish individual elected statewide, according to a press release from his campaign.

“Virginia needs a full-time lieutenant governor. If elected, I would visit every one of Virginia’s 133 counties and cities during my term and assist the Governor in connecting with everyday Virginians all across the Commonwealth,” Levine said in a written statement announcing his candidacy.

Eleven other candidates, seven Democrats and four Republicans, are running for the position, a role with a relatively short job description; lieutenant governors preside over the state Senate and step in for the governor when they cannot continue to serve. Several of those running this election cycle have never held elected office.

The job is often seen as a launching pad for higher office and has been held by current Gov. Ralph Northam and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), also a former Virginia governor. Current Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) is running for governor.

Lieutenant governors are elected during Virginia’s gubernatorial elections, which are held in odd years and do not coincide with presidential or congressional mid-term elections. While governors may not serve consecutive terms, lieutenant governors can. Virginia’s 2021 general election is scheduled for Nov. 2, with the Democratic primary slated for June 8 and a Republican nominating convention set for sometime next year.

Levine, who grew up in Nashville, studied in Switzerland as a Fulbright scholar in 1989 and graduated from Yale Law School in 1992. He worked for a decade to have his former brother-in-law incarcerated after he killed Levine’s sister in 1996, and to revise domestic-abuse and custody legislation that ultimately helped grant custody of their children to Levine’s parents.

Levine also co-founded Marriage Equality California, a same-sex marriage advocacy group, in 1999, and pushed for D.C. legislation allowing gay marriage in 2009. He moved to Alexandria in 2001.

“Injustice really gets under my skin,” Levine said in the statement. “All our lives we’ve been told ‘that’s just the way things are.’ But I’ve found — if you’re persistent and creative, get the details right, and work with others of good will — even the toughest problems can be solved. So when I hear something is ‘impossible,’ that’s my cue to get to work!”

In 2016, Levine worked with Sen. Amanda Chase — a Republican representing Chesterfield who is running for governor — to create the Virginia Transparency Caucus, which promotes openness in General Assembly proceedings through the use of recordings and livestreams.