Stephen J. Young of Hopkins, perhaps best known politically in this area as chairman of the Allegan County Tea Party, has announced he will be a candidate for Sixth District U.S. Congress in the Aug. 7 Republican Party primary.

Young is the only Republican who will be on the ballot thus far, other than longtime incumbent Fred Upton. There are seven Democrats who are competing for their party’s nomination.

“I have picked up and have copies of the petitions and will require much assistance to have them signed by the filling date of April 24,” he said today on Facebook.

The Sixth Congressional District 6 includes Berrien, Van Buren, Cass, Allegan, Kalamazoo and St Joseph counties. Young needs 1,000 valid signatures of registered voters from those counties before April 24.

“Anyone willing to take petitions and work these next few days to obtain signatures would be a blessing,” he posted.

“The question for each is do you believe it is time to replace Fred Upton with a Constitutionalist?

Besides being chairman of the Tea Party in Allegan County, Young is a former utility maintenance planner at Coca-Cola, former maintenance manager at NK Manufacturing, Inc., studied preaching the word of God at Mazon Baptist Church, Mazon Ill., studied senior reactor operator at GE and studied Electronics at United States Navy.

Upton has served 16 two-year terms in the U.S. House of Representatives since first being elected in 1986.