Astronaut Candidate Will Carry Olympic Torch

Astronaut and congressional candidate will carry the Olympic torch on its way to London.

Jose Hernandez is running as a Democrat to represent California's newly formed 10th Congressional District in the next Congress. He'll oppose freshman GOP Rep. Jeff Denham in the fall.

Hernandez was admitted to astronaut school at age 41 and spent a year at NASA headquarters working with members of Congress on space policy, the Associated Press reported when he announced his run in October 2011. Hernandez flew on a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station in August and September 2009.

Hernandez will carry the Olympic torch through the town of Bletchley, northwest of London, on July 9, according to an announcement on the official London Olympics website.

Hernandez is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's list of "Red to Blue" candidates, its top-tier list of candidates who could potentially unseat Republican incumbents in 2012.