NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville attorney and former Army helicopter pilot James Mackler says he is running for the Democratic nomination to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.

Mackler announced Monday that he wants to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Bob Corker in next year's general election.

Forty-four-year-old Mackler suspended his legal career in response to the 9-11 attacks, joining the Army in 2001. He spent three years as a Black Hawk pilot in the 101st Airborne Division that included a deployment to Iraq and an Air Medal for "bold and audacious piloting."

He later transferred the Judge Advocate General Corps. Mackler left active duty in 2011, but continues to serve in the Tennessee Air National Guard.

Republicans have held both of Tennessee's seats in the Senate since 1994.