Tara Hong, who came up just short in his bid to unseat incumbent Rady Mom in 2022, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the seat once again.

Hong, who has made no secret of his intentions to run and even held a fundraiser earlier this year, made the decision public on his Facebook page yesterday. The 23-year old touted his experience with non-profits and political campaigns for helping him gain insights into the community.

“I’m committed to amplifying our community’s voices and ensuring equitable access to resources and information,” Hong wrote. “My first priority is to enhance our constituent service system, ensuring that you have the ability to reach out to my office at any time to address the issues that matter most to you and your family. Improving our district is a collective effort, and I’m ready to be your active representative at the State House.”

Hong has been a frequent speaker during Lowell City Council and School Committee meetings over the past couple of years, and has also been a periodic contributor to InsideLowell.

State Representative Rady Mom has held the 18th District House seat since 2015, winning a competitive Democratic primary and general election to replace Kevin Murphy in the fall of 2014. Since then, he’s face frequent challenges from within the party. He bested Hong in 2022 by just 56-person votes, 1o30-974, in a 3-way race that included Dominik Lay.

Lay is also considering another run for the office, telling us in late February that he’ll “get back to us in a few weeks” when asked if he’s made a decision on whether to run.

The Lowell School Committee member garnered 356 votes in the 2022 race.