US Republican senator John McCain has officially announced he will run the race to be his party's candidate for presidency in 2008.
Senator John McCain
Mr McCain made the announcement during a TV interview, which was broadcast late last night. The Arizona Republican, surprising few Americans, made the announcement during an interview on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman.
He said he would make a formal announcement in April.
Mr McCain has been on the campaign trail since revealing plans in November to form an exploratory committee, a key step in the campaign fundraising process.
Mr McCain is a former Vietnam prisoner of war who stresses his experience in foreign policy and military affairs.
One of President Bush's key allies in the US Congress on Iraq, he called for a troop build-up for months, even after the November election when it looked like the more likely option was the beginning of a US withdrawal.
The senator joins former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney who are leading a large field of Republicans eyeing a 2008 White House run.
A new ABC News/ Washington Postpoll shows Mr Giuliani holding a two-to-one advantage over Mr McCain among Republicans nationally.