Elan Carr, a deputy district attorney and recent Republican candidate for Congress, announced his bid Thursday for Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor.

It’s the first time since 1980 there has been a wide-open race for the seat, held by Michael D. Antonovich, who is termed out of office in 2016.

Antonovich, a Republican, has endorsed his longtime chief of staff, Kathryn Barger, for the position.

Carr lives with his wife and children in Beverly Hills, which is not in the 5th Supervisorial District. He told reporters last week he is house-hunting in the district.

Barger lives in San Marino, which is in the 5th District.

Here is Carr’s biography from his campaign website, ElanCarr.com:

ABOUT ELAN

Elan Carr is the son of immigrants.  His mother fled to Israel from Iraq after watching her father be taken away by Iraqi authorities.  His step-father fled to Israel from Nazi-occupied Bulgaria. Both eventually immigrated to the United States and became proud American citizens.  Elan’s mother, father, and step-father modeled the importance of living lives of service and civic responsibility. These examples led Elan to dedicate himself to public service.

Determined to serve his country, Elan joined the United States Army a few months before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He graduated first in a class of 75 officers in his Officer Basic Course, and then graduated first in a class of 150 officers in his Officer Advanced Course.  When U.S. troops entered Iraq in 2003, Elan volunteered to deploy to the very place from where his family had fled as Jewish refugees.  While in Iraq, he helped to lead an anti-terrorism team of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in life-saving missions throughout Baghdad and much of the country.  He then prosecuted terrorists and insurgents who attacked American troops. Those prosecutions were conducted in an Iraqi court, which marks the first time that U.S. military officers litigated in an Arab court.

He also worked to institute the rule of law in Iraq by training Iraqi judges on constitutional and criminal law.  And he received international media attention for leading Hanukkah and other Jewish services in the former presidential palace of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.  He received multiple decorations for his service in Iraq, and he continues to serve as to this day in the U.S. Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.

Due to his intimate knowledge and first-hand experience with Israel and the Middle East, Elan was invited by Israel’s Ministry of Justice to help create a public defender’s office in Israel – the first in the country’s history.

Having fought terrorists in Iraq, Elan turned his attention to fighting criminals on our streets.  Upon returning from Iraq, he joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney. Over the last ten years as a felony prosecutor, Elan has prosecuted some of LA’s most notorious criminal street gangs, as well as cases of domestic violence and animal cruelty. He has prosecuted murders, attempted murders, attempted murder of police officers, and numerous other violent crimes. He is looking forward to bringing that same fighting spirit in representing the people of Los Angeles County’s Fifth District.

Elan is married to Dr. Dahlia Carr, a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology. Elan and Dahlia live in Los Angeles with their two daughters – Hannah and Rachell – and their baby boy, Samuel.