(Gainesville)- Hall County native and former University of Georgia football player, Ben Souther, has announced his candidacy for the United States Congress. Ben is running to represent North Georgia’s newly-drawn 9th Congressional District, which includes White County.

At a recently held rally, Souther said the current political climate in Washington compelled him to run for office.

“I love this community and have a vested interest in seeing it thrive,” he said. ‘We are going to bring common sense back, but we need new leadership to do it.”

Souther and his wife Kristen live in Murrayville where they are raising their three children.

He is running for the Republican nomination on a staunchly conservative platform. Issues highlighted by his campaign include doing away with federal vaccine and mask mandates, retaining state control over elections, and overhauling the U.S. Department of Education. The new 9th Congressional District includes Banks, Fannin, Franklin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White, and the northeast portion of Gwinnett County.