As of 6 p.m. Friday, the list of candidates who have filed for the 5th District congressional seat had grown to 14, with three more independents filing.

There will now be a third-party primary May 2, with two Libertarian candidates – Bill Bledsoe and Nathaniel Cooper – now seeking the seat.

David Kulma filed as a Green Party candidate just before 1 p.m. Friday, and Josh Thornton filed as an American Party candidate last Monday.

A Second Amendment advocate, Bledsoe is a Spartanburg veterinarian and business owner. On his website, Bledsoe said “manufacturing jobs must be brought back here where they belong” and youth must be properly educated in responsibility and integrity. Voters, he said, must hold elected officials accountable.

“I work for my employees, not my employees work for me,” he said. “I am their servant, not their master, and I want to be your servant, too, in D.C.”

Cooper was contacted for comment by The Lancaster News, but did not return phone calls by 7 p.m. Friday.

A musician, college teacher, husband and father of one, Kulma says on his website, votekulma.org, that the shared values of democracy, peace, justice and protecting the environment must have a voice in the upcoming special election.

He said he has also grown tired of how Washington politicians only cater to big business, while ignoring the issues that most Americans face.

“We want money out of politics and a government that actually represents the people,” he said.