SPARTANBURG, South Carolina (CNN) -- Addressing an audience in South Carolina, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, announced Thursday he will run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

"Let's begin this race for the American presidency and let's win," Hunter said in front of a banner advertising his campaign Web site -- www.gohunter08.com

In a speech preceding his announcement, the 14-term U.S. congressman from California addressed a wide variety of issues including U.S. trade, China's devaluation of its currency, border security, Iran, and the importance of family.

The former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee also said he supported President Bush's plan to send more than 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq to try to secure Baghdad.

Hunter chided Democrats for trying to "cut off reinforcements and supplies in a shooting war," saying that if they are successful, they would "never be forgiven by the American people."

He also voiced his support for the border fence which is under construction along Texas and Arizona's border with Mexico.

"We have to secure the border for national security reasons," he said.

In a recent CNN poll, about one percent of registered Republicans said they would chose Hunter for the GOP nomination. The top choices were Giuliani (32 percent), McCain (26 percent), and Gingrich (9 percent). The Jan. 19-21 poll had a sampling error of five percentage points.

Hunter will be Wolf Blitzer's guest in the 5 p.m. hour of "The Situation Room"