After being pardoned by President Donald Trump, Angela Stanton-King announced she's running as a Republican for Congress against Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Stanton-King will attempt to take the position from the incumbent, who announced in December that he is battling stage four pancreatic cancer, as Blavity previously reported. Lewis has been outspoken in his opposition against the president, being one of the members of Congress to call for Trump's impeachment while repeatedly calling his presidency illegitimate, NBC News reported.
Trump went on to respond to Lewis' comments, saying the congressman should "spend more time fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results."
Lewis has also called out Trump for being a racist after the president referred to foreign countries as "s**tholes," Politico reported.
Despite the feud between Trump and Lewis, Stanton-King said she has the "utmost respect" for the congressman.
“Whenever I think about Rep. John Lewis, the image I have in my head is him on the Selma bridge. I have the utmost respect for the contributions that he has made to black America,” Stanton-King said. “However, this isn’t the Selma bridge, and our babies are dying. It is time for war.”
“I turned my life around. I have completely redeemed my life. This race is not about me trying to beat John Lewis. It is about carrying the torch and picking up the fight. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results,” she said.
In spite of the 80-year-old's health, it's apparent he has no plans of backing down anytime soon with his recent appearance during the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday march and even announcing his plans to keep his seat in the Congress chambers.
The civil rights activist has held his role in Congress for 17 terms while representing Georgia's 5th Congressional District, AJC reported.
Stanton-King has been vocal about her opposition to the Democrats' support for abortion. On Tuesday she tweeted "I can't sit by quietly while thousands of babies are being murdered each day."
She plans to run with abortion as a priority on her agenda in addition to criminal justice and assisting former felons to readjust to life after prison.
“I have never run for office and I don’t have political experience,” Stanton-King said. “But I do have life experiences.”
Stanton-King was pardoned in February by Trump after two years in prison for a 2004 conviction on federal conspiracy charges for her connection to a car theft ring, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“[Stanton-King] overcame a difficult childhood to become a champion for redemption and rehabilitation for all who strive for a better life," Trump said at the time of her pardon.
“She works tirelessly to improve reentry outcomes for people returning to their communities upon release from prison, focusing on the critical role of families in the process. This pardon is supported by Alveda King,” he added.
In 2012, she wrote a book titled Lies of a Real Housewife, detailing her conspiring with Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks and Parks' ex-husband Apollo Nida for criminal enterprises including forgery and stealing luxury cars.
She is the goddaughter of Trump ally Alveda King who is also the niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.