MONROE, Ga. — Proclaiming himself an “outsider” bidding to continue the work of former President Donald Trump, local businessman Marc McMain announced he is running for Congress.

McMain is the owner of Town Values magazine, formerly the MTM Shopper. He and his wife, Liliana, live in Monroe.

“Our nation is at a crossroads and our political system has been hijacked by the left,” McMain said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

“We must continue what President Trump started and put America first.”

McMain is running for the 10th District seat now held by Rep. Jody Hice, a Republican from Greensboro. Hice is not seeking a fifth term next year, instead running for secretary of state with Trump’s endorsement.

“Career politicians have ruined this country,” McMain said. “I am a proud Christian, husband and Republican who is the ultimate Washington outsider ready to get our country back on track.

“I started working when I was 14 years old, saved money and paid my own way through community college.

“We need less attorneys in Congress and more people who have walked as I have in the shoes of everyday Americans.”

McMain said he is the youngest of three brothers in a family that moved to Stone Mountain when he was 10. He graduated from Rockdale County High School in 1988 then spent the next year teaching karate and washing cars to save money from college.

He went to college in DeKalb County (now Georgia Piedmont Technical College). McMain recalled working in a tire warehouse in the mornings, then going to class and teaching in the evenings at a karate school he started.

After earning an associate degree in Spanish, McMain turned his attention to the karate school, growing it to more than 250 active students. He eventually sold it and began the MTM Shopper in 2003 in Loganville.

McMain joins a Republican primary that includes state Rep. Timothy Barr of Lawrenceville and former U.S. Rep. Paul Broun of Athens. The 10th Congressional District includes part of Newton and part or all of 24 other Georgia counties.