Retiring SNP MP Stewart Hosie’s wife Serena Cowdy is launching a bid to replace him in a newly drawn Arbroath and Broughty Ferry constituency.
The Angus councillor is the latest nationalist to throw her hat in the ring for the patch, which takes in much of the current Dundee East area.
Mr Hosie announced in June he intends to quit as local MP at the next election after nearly 20 years in the job.
Ms Cowdy was elected as a local councillor for the Arbroath West ward in the 2022 council election.
It emerged in 2016 she had become romantically involved with Mr Hosie, when he was married to Dundee MSP Shona Robison, who is now deputy first minister.
Ms Cowdy had been working as a Westminster journalist at the time.
Mr Hosie stepped down from his post as the SNP’s deputy leader shortly afterwards.
The couple were later married in 2018 following Mr Hosie’s split from Ms Robison.
In July, Ms Cowdy told us it was too early to determine whether she would run to become an MP, but did not rule herself out.
Dundee SNP councillor Lynne Short was the first candidate to put herself forward for the seat after Mr Hosie announced his intention to quit Westminster.
The Maryfield Councillor was at the centre of a major row in January when she compared the fight for transgender rights with the Holocaust.
In August, SNP activist and lawyer George Bruce became the second candidate to declare he would run for the new constituency.
Dundee council leader John Alexander ruled himself out of the running and said he is instead focused on running the city.
West End Councillor Nadia El-Nakla, who is married to First Minister Humza Yousaf, also said she does not plan to stand.
SNP stronghold
Mr Hosie’s Dundee East seat has long been an SNP stronghold and remains one of the party’s safest constituencies in Scotland.
The Arbroath and Broughty Ferry successor seat remains strongly likely to elect a nationalist MP, despite having slightly different boundaries.
Incumbent Dundee West SNP MP Chris Law previously confirmed he plans to stand again in the new Dundee Central seat.
Conversation