A politically-active local minister is about to make a run for Alabama’s second-highest elected office.

Dr. Stan Cooke, the senior pastor of Kimberly Church of God, will announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor on Tuesday.

According to an emailed press release by Cooke, the official announcement will take place at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of the State Capitol. The announcement was confirmed by Claire Austin, a spokeswoman for Cooke who has worked with several Republican campaigns. (Cooke himself could not be reached for comment.)

Cooke will face an uphill battle, as he takes on incumbent Kay Ivey, a longtime figure in the state GOP apparatus who previously served two terms as state treasurer. She has been endorsed by a number of top Republican officeholders, including Senate Majority Leader Jabo Waggoner of Vestavia Hills.

It’s not the first time that Cooke has taken on a political heavyweight. He previously ran against longtime incumbent Spencer Bachus for the Sixth District seat in the U.S. House fo Representatives, but lost by a 3-to-1 margin in the primary.

Cooke has been pastor at Kimberly Church of God for nine years, according to the church website. He and his wife Michelle have two children, one a student at UAB and the other attending Mortimer Jordan High.

Edited at 11:25 a.m. Aug. 20 to correct Cooke’s length of service as pastor in Kimberly.