Chelsea Manning on Thursday filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland.

According to the Washington Blade, the FEC website indicates Manning is running as a Democrat.

Manning would first need to win the Democratic nomination, a difficult task considering the popularity of incumbent Senator Ben Cardin. The primary is set for June 28.

The 30-year-old former Army private came out transgender on the day she was sentenced to serve 35 years in prison for disclosing classified materials to WikiLeaks. Before leaving the White House, President Barack Obama commuted all but four months of Manning's remaining prison term. She served nearly 7 years of her 35-year sentence.

(Related: Showtime to broadcast Chelsea Manning documentary XY Chelsea.)

If elected to the Senate, Manning would become the first openly transgender person to be elected to either house of Congress.

According to The Washington Post, Manning also needs to file with the Maryland State Board of Elections to get her name on the ballot.

Todd Eberly, a political-science professor at St. Mary's College in Maryland, told the paper that judging from her past statements, Manning is likely to run as an “unapologetic” progressive candidate.