Former UGA Football player and Hall County native Ben Souther jumped into the race for the Republican nomination for the 9th Congressional District last week.
"It's my kids. It's our kids," Souther told WDUN's Newsroom. "We need to provide a safe country to live in, and we need to make sure that capitalism can run its course and give us a thriving business economy."
Souther, a former FBI Special Agent and local business owner, believes politicians often go to Washington and forget the people they represent.
"Whenever we get up to Congress, every decision that we make will be with this district and our future generations in mind," he said.
Souther argues the 9th district faces challenging problems, including supply chain issues and increasing crime in nearby areas.
As a father of three, Souther emphasized education and teacher retention. "I think it's time that we stopped talking to the principal and start talking to the teachers," Souther explained. "Those are the ones that are going to be instructing our kids and hopefully helping them grow all throughout their young adult lives."
As a businessman, Souther pointed to a need for America to change course on energy and manufacturing.
He sees America's reliance on foreign countries, like China, as a national security threat. Souther also believes the country must be energy independent.
"Energy independence, that is both a natural security threat and something that could help our economy tremendously," he told WDUN.
While not a career politician Souther maintains he's qualified for the job, "we need common sense in there."
