U.S. Rep. Don Young already faces significant opposition in the general election next year. Now he’s facing opposition in the Republican primary.

State Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Kodiak, announced Wednesday she will seek Young’s seat in Congress. In an interview with the Kodiak Daily Mirror today, LeDoux said she officially filed papers to run for Young’s seat.

LeDoux, an attorney and former Kodiak Island Borough mayor, is attending a board meeting today in Anchorage for the Alaska Aerospace Development Corp., which oversees operation of the Kodiak Launch Complex.

LeDoux said she’s running for Young’s seat because voters want someone who can work with both Republicans and Democrats.

“I will simply get out, using a lot of shoe leather,” she said.

The Democrats are in control of Congress now, she said, and Young is in the minority.

‘‘I think people are concerned about some of the strident partisanship we see there,’’ LeDoux said.

So far, LeDoux is the only Republican who has filed to run against Young. The primaries will be held in August 2008. Other Republicans mentioned who may be in the race include Alaska House Speaker John Harris, who has said he would run only if Young decides not to run.

LeDoux was once a Democrat. She beat Dan Ogg in the Republican primary in 2004 and went on to win the general election unopposed. She was re-elected in 2006.

While LeDoux did not bring up the federal investigation of Young, she said with the political events now happening, it is the right time for her to run against the longtime Congressman.

“I intend to run a clean, upbeat campaign emphasizing that the voters have made it clear they are ready for change,” LeDoux said.

LeDoux said she plans to visit places throughout the state, recognizing that Young has a considerable war chest already built up with which to run a campaign.

“It might be sort of like David and Goliath, but I think I can raise enough funding to run against him,” LeDoux said.

One issue LeDoux said she now is watching is development of Pebble Mine, which is in her current legislative district.

“I can no longer advocate for letting the permit process run its course on Pebble Mine,” she said. “So far, that process set in place by the Murkowski administration is stacked against environmental concerns.”

Concerning money that was previously donated to her from Veco Corp., LeDoux said that is a dead issue, pointing out that while she has returned the money now designated for charities, Young has not returned money he received from Veco.

Former state Rep. Ethan Berkowitz, D-Anchorage, the minority leader in the House for much of his tenure in office, also announced Wednesday he was seeking Young’s seat. Former state Democratic party chief Jake Metcalfe and Diane Benson, who received 40 percent of the vote against Young in 2006, also are seeking Young’s seat.

Young welcomes the competition, said his campaign manager, Steve Dougherty. Young is fully engaged in his campaign, Dougherty said.

‘‘We don’t take anything for granted. We have never taken anything for granted,’’ Dougherty said.

Young, 74, has been Alaska’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1973. He often has faced token opposition in his re-election campaigns. That will not be the case next year.

‘‘He’s a wounded bear,’’ Metcalfe said.

Young, who chaired the powerful House Transportation Committee from 2000 to 2006, is the ranking Republican on the House Resources Committee. He says he remains effective in Congress, and does not see himself as vulnerable in the 2008 election. In an August interview with The Associated Press, Young warned challengers against mudslinging when he campaigns for re-election.

State House Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, said he is interested in the Congressional seat but would run for it only if Young decided not to seek re-election.

‘‘I have a lot of respect for both Ted Stevens and Don Young. I know both are under a lot of scrutiny,’’ Harris said.

Berkowitz has said he will focus on issues, not personalities, but the Young has been criticized by the other Democrats in the race.

Benson recently sent a letter to the U.S. House Ethics Committee asking its members to look into a Young earmark for a Florida interchange known as Coconut Road. People are disgusted, Benson said, and Democrats have for too long been afraid to challenge for Young’s seat.

Metcalfe said Young deserves respect but scandal and his ‘‘back bencher’’ status in Congress mean he’s not giving Alaska the representation that it deserves.

Various national news organizations have reported in recent weeks that Young is under federal investigation for his ties to Veco Corp., for fundraising activities and for his role in specific congressional earmarks. Young has declined to discuss the investigation.

He reported spending $262,137 in attorney fees from his campaign treasury during the first six months of this year. Young still has far more campaign money than his challengers, with more than $1.6 million cash on hand listed on his June 30 campaign disclosure report.