A former Republican will run as a Democrat for the 4th District congressional seat currently held by Republican John Doolittle of Rocklin.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charles D. Brown, of Roseville, has been discussing his intentions for months. He formally announced his candidacy Saturday on the steps of the Roseville Veterans Memorial Building before a crowd of supporters.

Brown said he retains his belief in traditional values and calls himself a fiscal conservative. However, he has criticized the Republican Party and President George W. Bush for moving away from those values, saying the party has been taken over by "extremists."

"Bush and these extremists, like (Rep.) John Doolittle, have led us into the Iraq war, based on lies and deception," Brown writes on his Web site, "Brown for Congress."

"I've seen our rights and protections under the Constitution diminish. Under the current administration in Washington, D.C., the scales have been tipped to favor big business and special interests," the Web site states.

He also criticized Republicans for allowing corporations to "binge" on federal contracts and criticized Doolittle's voting record on veterans' benefits.

Brown's campaign faces an uphill battle against Doolittle, who has held the seat since 1991 with six re-elections.

Doolittle is considered the sixth highest-ranking member of the House of Representatives and serves as secretary of the House Republican Conference. Doolittle also sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee - which writes the annual federal spending bills - and is a deputy whip, one of the people who gets the party's members into chambers for votes.

Recently, Doolittle has supported the intelligent design movement, which seeks to place fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible's creation account on the same level as scientific theories of evolution, especially in public schools.

Brown graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1972 and served 26 years in the military. During the Vietnam War, he flew jet and helicopter missions in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. During the Gulf War, he was in charge of reconnaissance missions.

He also earned a master's degree in aviation management from Embry Riddle University.

Brown has been elected to two terms on the Supervisory Committee of the Sierra Central Credit Union and two terms as vice president of the Roseville Police Association. He currently works in the Roseville Police Department.

Brown and his wife, Jan, have been married for 32 years and have two children.

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To contact staff writer Trina Kleist, e-mail trinak@theunion.com or call 477-4231.