Army vet who reported phone call that led to Trump impeachment runs for Congress

Retired Army Col. Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman announced Thursday that he would run to succeed Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in a Virginia battleground district next year.

Vindman played a role flagging the 2019 phone call between then-President Donald Trump's and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that led to Trump's first impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Now, he is the first Democrat to join this race.

Spanberger has represented the battleground 7th District since 2018, but she announced earlier this week that she would not run for re-election, opting to run for governor in 2025 instead.

In a statement accompanying his campaign launch, Vindman named Trump as a reason for launching his campaign.