Frank Guinta via YouTube: 'I'm Running for Congress'

Former 1st District Congressman Frank Guinta announced in a YouTube video posted Monday morning that he will run for his old seat in 2014.

Guinta, who held the seat from 2011 to 2012 before losing to Democrat Carol Shea-Porter, is the first Republican candidate to formally announce his candidacy. Dan Innis of Portsmouth announced last week that he is resigning as dean of the University of New Hampshire business school, sparking rumors that he will also run. And Dover School Board Chairman Rocky D'Andrea, who is running for Dover mayor, also hasn't ruled out a run.

The Union Leader's John DiStaso wrote last week that former Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has already chosen to endorse Guinta and will visit New Hampshire in October to campaign for him.

In his YouTube video, entitled "By Working Together We Can Solve Our Problems," Guinta calls the news out of Washington "pretty depressing" and says that lawmakers need to stop fighting. He goes on to talk about his history as Manchester's mayor, and his wife, Morgan discusses her husband's upbringing and family life.

Guinta closes the video with the tagline, "I'm Frank Guinta, and that's why I'm running for Congress."

As of Monday morning, Guinta also has a campaign website,Facebook page and Twitter account set up.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party issued a press release Monday morning following Guinta's web announcement, referring to the candidate as "disgraced former Tea Party Congressman Frank Guinta" and trying to paint him as a rubber stamp for the GOP right wing.

"Frank Guinta spent his time in Washington championing the Tea Party at the expense of New Hampshire families," NHDP Communications Director Harrell Kirstein said. "He voted to keep tax breaks for millionaires and big oil while telling Granite Staters to fend for themselves. He voted to put the government in charge of women's health care while trying to end Medicare by turning it into a voucher program. An independent watchdog group even named him one of the most corrupt members of Congress. Frank Guinta's notoriety as a rubber stamp for the far right wing and national Republicans cost him his seat last fall and he shouldn't be surprised when New Hampshire voters reject him again for the very same reasons next year. "