Lochee councillor Michael Marra has announced his intention to replace his sister Jenny as an MSP.
Ms Marra announced at the weekend she was standing down after almost a decade as representative for North East Scotland, describing her time in the Scottish Parliament as a “privilege”.
Having recently given birth to her second son, Ms Marra said she wanted to spend more time with her young family, but did not rule out a return to politics in the future, saying she hoped to serve the party going forward.
She will not stand on the North East regional list or contest the Dundee City West constituency, she added.
Election in May
Mr Marra will stand for election on the regional list for North East Scotland.
The councillor stood for election in the 2015 general election, after former MP Jim McGovern decided to stand down just a month away from the vote.
He came second to current Dundee West MP Chris Law, who has been elected as SNP representative for the ward at Westminster twice since.
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Dundee Labour will elect a candidate from an all-woman shortlist for the Dundee City West Scottish Parliament constituency shortly, who will face off against incumbent SNP minister for public health Joe FitzPatrick, Scottish Conservative candidate Tess White and Lib Dem Daniel Coleman.
Ms White is a former HR professional and contested the Dundee West seat for Westminster in last December’s election. Mr Coleman also stood for election last year for the Lib Dems.
Other parties and candidates will announce their intention to run closer to the election.
‘Standing on my own record as councillor’
Paying tribute to his sister’s time in Parliament, Mr Marra said: “I am grateful for the many messages of support from party members, supporters and even political opponents over the last 24 hours.
“They all share my belief the region needs strong MSPs who can argue for jobs and for public services. It is humbling to have their support as I seek to serve the people of the North East.
“I have been campaigning for industrial jobs on the Tay for years now. The work Jenny did to bring together businesses, trade unions, investors and public bodies to develop plans in this area is exactly the kind of work our MSP should be doing.
“I could not be more proud of her service to our community and have learned so much from her.
“I am standing on my own track record of work for the people of Lochee, Dundee, Angus and the North East. Fighting poverty and improving education have been at the heart of my politics and my work.
“I believe I am ready to serve our city and our region in Holyrood if the voters will have me.
“We need strong Labour voices for Dundee, Angus and the rest of the North East to ensure we can recover from the pandemic as quickly and as fairly as possible.
“We went into this crisis poorly prepared with governments in Edinburgh and London that ignored the warnings.
“Growing health inequalities and a litany of mistakes from the SNP Government has left Scotland as one of the worst-affected countries in the world.
“The challenge of the next Parliament will be to deal with the fallout of this crisis and to try to build a better future for the next generation of Scots.”
Tories call Dundee ‘one-party state’
Karate black belt Ms White said: “I am honoured to have been chosen as the Scottish Conservative candidate for Dundee City West.
“I have seen the one-party state of Dundee failed by successive SNP MSPs, MPs and councillors.
“They have failed with the lowest economic activity in Scotland; an education system with a 40% attainment gap and where 25% of her children are living in poverty.
“A strong voice is needed to hold them to account – for jobs, for skills and capability education, for aspirational growth and economic prosperity.”
Football referee Mr Coleman said: “I am thrilled to be selected as the Lib Dem Dundee City West Candidate in the 2021 elections.
“I am very much looking forward to taking part in the political process again and cannot wait to get stuck in to what will be an enthralling election campaign.”
Mr FitzPatrick was re-selected by SNP members to contest May’s election.
He said: “I am extremely grateful local members have once more put their trust in me to stand as the SNP candidate for Dundee City West constituency.
“Since being elected in 2007, I have worked tirelessly to serve every community. Over the past 13 years my team and I have supported thousands of individual constituents and I have worked with many local organisations and businesses.
“I am determined to play my part in helping Dundee to recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and to secure a positive future for Scotland as an independent, European nation.”