GARDEN CITY – A southwest Kansas ophthalmologist announced his candidacy Thursday for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in Kansas First Congressional District.

Dr. Bill Clifford is an Air Force Veteran and small business owner based in Garden City.

He joins former Kansas Lt. Governor Tracey Mann and former elementary school teacher Kali Barnett who have announced plans to run for the state’s First District seat in Congress.

In a media release, Clifford said, “Like most Kansans, I am appalled at what is happening in Washington today. After much consideration, I am compelled to represent the people of Kansas,”

Clifford said he would stand with President Trump and represent the conservative values of the Big First Congressional District. He pledged to defend Second Amendment rights, support the Right to Life, advocate for farmers and ranchers, and work to secure the borders.

Clifford is co-owner of Fry Eye Associates in Garden City. A 1976 graduate of the Air Force Academy, he flew the F-15 jet fighter in the Air Force for four years. He attended the University of Southern California Medical School from 1985 to 1989 and completed Eye Surgery Residency and Fellowship Training in Glaucoma and Cornea at the University of Oklahoma.

After a year at the King Khaled Eye Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he joined Dr. Luther Fry in the practice of ophthalmology. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member-at- large of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Board of Trustees.

Dr. Clifford and his wife of 37 years, Jean, both have held elected offices for more than a dozen years. Dr. Clifford was elected three times to the Garden City Community College Board of Trustees and is currently serving his fifth year on the Finney County Commission, which he chairs.