LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Joel Willett, a military veteran, former CIA officer and Louisville native, has entered the race for U.S. Senate, with his eyes set on Sen. Mitch McConnell's long-held seat.

In a video announcement posted online Wednesday, Willett introduces himself to Kentuckians and speaks about his upbringing in Valley Station, where he said his family struggled to make ends meet.

He tied those challenges to the opioid crisis, which he said claimed his father's life.

"My parents worked hard to provide for me and my sister, but they struggled to make ends meet," he said. "Like so many hard-working people up and down the streets, when their bodies broke down, doctors push painkillers, they got them hooked. That could’ve happened to me too, but because of my grandparents and my faith,

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