CLARKSTON, MI -- During his tenure in Lansing, State Rep. Tom McMillin said the problem advancing legislation or launching programs is often because of Washington D.C.

Lawmakers and groups are either afraid they will lose money or be penalized by the federal government because of requirements or regulations.

"It's time and time again we run into areas where the problem is Washington," McMillin told a crowd of some 90 people gathered in Clarkston on Saturday. "I'm going to the belly of the beast and I'm going to go there to push things back and bring some common sense."

McMillin officially kicked off his bid for Congress on Saturday in Rochester Hills. He is one of two Republicans running in the primary to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is not seeking another term.

During the event, McMillin was joined by former State House colleague and U.S. Rep

, who has

received national attention for his strong independent streak and willingness to buck the party line.

"I came to recognize Tom McMillin was an amazing person," said Amash, who was elected in 2010 and has become a leader for the Tea Party movement. "Someone who ... was willing to stand up to both parties to do the right thing if necessary."

When Amash was in the state house, he introduced legislation to overhaul the indigent defense system. When he was elected to Congress, McMillin pushed the legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2013.

"Tom is a true legislator, someone who cares about the details, a person who is willing to reconsider a position when he gets more facts," Amash said. "That's important."

First elected to the Michigan House in 2008, McMillin is chair of the oversight committee. He is considered a tea party conservative and evangelical Christian with strong libertarian views. He has fought adoption of the Common Core school curriculum and proposed legislation in an attempt to block municipalities from adding homosexuality to anti-discrimination ordinances

McMillin announced legislation Tuesday that would make it easier for residents to challenge local gun rules that conflict with state law and penalize elected officials who might enforce them.

This isn't his first time running for Congress: McMillin ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint. Before going to Lansing, McMillin was on the Auburn Hills City Council and Oakland County Commission.

The other candidate in the Republican primary is Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, who has been endorsed by Rogers.

McMillin talked about the differences between him and Bishop, including votes on the Michigan Business Tax and that Bishop was named one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate by MIRS in 2009, a Lansing political news service.

Stu Sandler, Bishop's campaign

consultant, said McMillin is launching "misleading attacks"

about vote records and votes related to tax cuts.

"Tom isn’t telling you that Mike Bishop received the most conservative legislator in 2010, the only caucus leader ever to get that status,"

Sandler

said in an e-mail.

In 2011, MIRS, the same publication that named Bishop the most liberal member of the Senate, named him the most conservative.

Four Democrats are running for the seat: former state Ken Darga, Central Michigan University professor Susan Grettenberger, Lansing attorney Jeffrey Hank, and Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing.

Democrats will have to make a strong push to pick up the seat. While it includes Democratic-leaning Ingham County, the district also has Republican-leaning Livingston County and part of Oakland County. According to Inside Michigan Politics, Democrats have a 46.2 percent political base in the district.

Fritz Klug is a news buzz reporter for MLive. Contact him at fklug@mlive.com or 269-370-0584. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or App.net.