COLUMBUS—Former state Rep. Matt Huffman (R., Lima), who was recently forced from the House by term limits, announced Tuesday he will seek to succeed fellow Republican Keith Faber in the Ohio Senate seat.

Mr. Huffman, 55, held the No. 2 post in GOP leadership in the House at the time that his term-limit clock ran out, and his Senate candidacy comes as little surprise. This sets up a contest between two conservative former House members for the Republican nomination in 2016.

John Adams, a Sidney Republican, announced his candidacy a month ago. Like Mr. Huffman, he also served in House GOP leadership.

The largely rural 12th District is a GOP stronghold, containing all or part of seven counties and stretching as far north as Allen County.

Mr. Faber, of Celina, serves as Senate president, but he cannot seek another term next year.

“I’ve made it my point to champion the lowering of the personal income tax, protecting the unborn, and defending our constitutional rights,” Mr. Huffman said. “This will be my simple philosophy if I’m elected to this Senate seat.”

He served on Lima City Council for 15 years before representing the 4th House District. Among his legislative accomplishments, he helped to frame the proposed constitutional amendment that voters will see on the Nov. 3 ballot that would revamp how Ohio redraws state legislative districts.

He has worked to convince states to join Ohio in adopting resolutions calling for a federal balanced budget amendment and tried without success to convince his legislative colleagues to repeal the controversial K-12 Common Core education standards.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Notre Dame and then his law degree from the University of Cincinnati.

First Published April 8, 2015, 4:00 a.m.