HARRISBURG (AP) - Pennsylvania's 2018 race for U.S. Senate is getting underway, with Monday's entry of a fiery Republican state lawmaker from suburban Pittsburgh who has become known for his conservative and outspoken style in his six years in office.

Rick Saccone's target is Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, the son of a late former governor and one of Pennsylvania's best-known politicians.Saccone compared the race against Casey to a story from the Torah, when Israelite scouts discovered with alarm that there were virtual giants living in Canaan."There are many people out there now saying the same thing about this race, 'Oh, you can't, they're giants in the land, you can't win, you can't win,'" Saccone told a crowd of supporters. "Believe me, folks, these people may cast long shadows, but they are not giants. Bob Casey's no giant."A retired Air Force captain, Saccone, 59, is a frequent critic of the government and political deal-making, and his speeches on the House floor are often passionate and forceful. He is prominent in the fight to expand gun rights and the role of religion in public life, sometimes making waves, such as with legislation he sponsored to declare 2012 the Year of the Bible in Pennsylvania.Along with his opposition to abortion rights, Saccone has drawn the support of religious conservatives.