RUSSELL, Kan. (AP) – A prominent Republican state legislator has launched a campaign for the western Kansas seat in Congress.

State Rep. Troy Waymaster of Bunker Hill announced his candidacy Tuesday in the 1st Congressional District. Waymaster has been chairman of the Kansas House Appropriations committee since 2017 and is a key player in budget debates.

Waymaster said he’s a conservative running partly because “socialists” in Washington “are tearing our country apart.” He is a farmer who was first elected to the Legislature in 2012.

Former Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann of Salina and Finney County Commissioner Bill Clifford also are seeking the GOP nomination. Garden City teacher Kali Barnett is running as a Democrat.

Two-term Republican Rep. Roger Marshall announced last month that he’s running for the U.S. Senate.