Notoriously anti-gay Virginia legislator Bob Marshall is expected to announce his candidacy for Congress in the state’s 10^th district sometime this week. The district, which leans conservative but is considered a battleground, already has five other GOP candidates running in the upcoming race to succeed retiring Rep. Frank Wolf.

In a letter sent to supporters detailing his intentions to run, Marshall was sure to highlight his social conservative credentials to help stand out from the crowded Republican pack:

As the author of Virginia’s “One-Man, One-Woman” Marshall-Newman Marriage Amendment, which was overwhelmingly ratified by Virginians in 2006, I believe in the Founders’ vision for respecting the laws of “Nature and Nature’s God.”

Equality of persons does not mean equality of behavior. I believe in and have fought for equality for all of my 23 years in Richmond, but I believe in the traditional purpose and sanctity of marriage, and believe that governments should respect the concept of traditional marriage.

I am currently taking on Democrat Attorney General Mark Herring, who is leading the assault against this Marriage Amendment, as well as ignoring other obligations and responsibilities as Virginia’s attorney general to enforce the state constitution and state laws.  I have spent my career protecting the U.S. and Virginia constitutions, and vow to continue to do so, no matter what.

I have fought for these things because I believe in God, America, freedom, self-governance, and the power of the individual. My actions and my record reflect my beliefs. I haven’t spent decades with polls and focus groups, and my record speaks for itself.

Marshall is well-known in Virginia for his past anti-gay obstructionist campaigns, including his attempt to block gays from serving in the Virginia National Guard, block the Gay Pride flag from being flown at the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank, and block a judicial nominee on the grounds that he was “an aggressive activist for the pro-homosexual agenda.” He has also spoken at length about his belief that “sodomy is not a civil right.”