Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District, stretching from Prince George’s County to the northern tip of Montgomery County, has switched back and forth between the Republican and Democratic parties in recent decades, though Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) has held the seat since 2003. But in this year’s election, it may well switch back — Van Hollen is facing a well-funded and powerful Republican contender.

Murray Hill announced yesterday that it would be filing to run in the Republican primary for the opportunity to challenge Van Hollen come November. Yes, “it” will be running — because “it” is a corporation, more specifically, Murray Hill Inc., a progressive PR firm.

“Until now,” it said in a statement, “corporate interests had to rely on campaign contributions and influence peddling to achieve their goals in Washington. But thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middle-man and run for office ourselves.”

The firm is of course referring to last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC, which found that campaign finance restrictions on corporations infringed upon the First Amendment. As SCOTUSBlog has written, the ruling also seems to allow newly empowered “corporate persons” to share in the rights afforded all Americans. So Murray Hill is doing just that.

In a statement, Campaign Manager William Klein promised an aggressive, historic campaign that “puts people second,” or even third.

“It’s our democracy,” Murray Hill Inc. said. “We bought it, we paid for it, and we’re going to keep it.”