Chelsea Manning has filed paperwork to run for US Senate in 2018. Manning, the former US Army private who was convicted of leaking documents to Wikileaks, will run as a Democrat in Maryland.

After serving 7 years of a 35-year sentence for leaking confidential military information on WikiLeaks and subsequently pardoned by Obama, Manning has stepped into the world fully herself and is leading a charge in the US, voicing concerns for transgender and healthcare rights.

The Washington Post reported that Manning has not responded to a request for comment, but says she will be challenging the state’s senior senator, Democrat Ben Cardin, who is up for re-election this year.

She has since released a campaign video on Twitter using hashtag #wegotthis in which she has positioned herself as a leader who will challenge the political status quo.

In the video, which is narrated by Manning, she says, “We need someone willing to fight”, “We need to stop asking them to give us our rights”.

During this commentary in the video, an article headline is shown which states, “The Same Democrats Who Denounce Donald Trump as a Lawless, Treasonous Authoritarian Just Voted to Give Him Vast Warrantless Spying Powers”.

She has been very active in voicing her opinion regarding the police force and how a change in the political system is needed from the ground up.

Three additional candidates, Jerry Segal, Richard Vaughn and Debbie Wilson, have also announced their intentions to run for the seat.

XY Chelsea Documentary

It has also been announced that a film documenting Manning’s life after her release from prison will hit screens later this year.

XY Chelsea tackles both matters of national security and transgender rights and visibility.

The documentary, XY Chelsea, is produced by Laura Poitras who won an Academy Award for documentary CitizenFour, which told the story of the Ed Snowden whistle-blowing case.