State House candidate Greg Matthews (D-Portland) released a new ad Monday touting his various public safety careers and promising to continue to serve the residents of East Multnomah County if elected.

“They say that being a good representative is all about responding to people,” Matthews says in the ad. “Well, that’s one thing I sure know how to do, whether it’s a fire call, or a police 911 call, or my country’s call.”

Matthews is launching a challenge against Rep. John Lim (R-Gresham) in East Multnomah County. Lim has been representing the county since 1992, when he was elected to the state senate. He won his current seat in 2004 after he was term-limited out of the Senate.

Surging Democratic registration means both parties have an eye on this seat. Multnomah County has increased its Democratic voter rolls by 30,938 since the beginning of the year, with much of that new registration landing in District 50 near Gresham.

Matthews chose to emphasize his service to District 50's community as one of the reasons he would be a capable representative in Salem. The Democratic candidate is also the current lieutenant for Gresham’s fire department, as well as an Army veteran and a former police officer.

Calls to Lim were not immediately returned.