Runyan, who will turn 36 tomorrow, will seek to represent a district that includes Cherry Hill and most of Burlington and Ocean Counties, stretching from the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean. Republicans held the seat for decades before Rep. John Adler won it last year with the help of a Democratic surge led by President Obama.
"I look forward to the end of my career on the field, and a spirited campaign against Congressman Adler in 2010," Runyan said in the statement.
Adler was with his family for the holiday and unavailable for an interview yesterday, according to a spokeswoman.
"Congressman Adler is going to continue to fight for middle-class families and a more accountable and efficient government. He is not thinking about partisan politics or next year's election," Jill Greco, his chief of staff, said in a statement.
National Republicans have targeted Adler from his first weeks in office, while Democrats have been girding for a fight to hang on to the historically Republican district.
Republicans in Runyan's home county, Burlington, were already eager to play up the potential contrasts between the massive lineman, who grew up in Flint, Mich., and Adler, a Cherry Hill resident who went to school in Haddonfield, graduated from Harvard Law, and spent 16 years in the Legislature before moving to Congress this year.
"People are tired of career politicians, which Congressman Adler certainly is, and they're looking for fresh faces," Russell said.
With his 13-year NFL career, it also seems Runyan would be in a position to fund much of his own campaign in an expensive media market.
Runyan got a split reaction from the Republican leaders in Burlington and Ocean Counties, where support is crucial for GOP candidates.
