Petal businessman Joe Tegerdine was in Laurel Thursday evening to officially announce his candidacy for the 4th District U.S. Congress seat currently held by Gene Taylor.

The Laurel courthouse was one of many destinations for Tegerdine’s “whistle stop” tour as he begins his campaign against Taylor, who has held the seat for 20 years. Other stops Thursday included Ellisville, Richton, Leakesville and Waynesboro, where Tegerdine said he had the largest number of supporters.

Diane Tolbert and Bobbie Miller, both Petal residents, have traveled with Tegerdine throughout his entire journey, carrying with them a “Mississippi Moms for Tegerdine” banner and waving to passers-by.

Tolbert said she favors Tegerdine because he’s “energetic and believes strongly in the Constitution.”

“He really represents us,” she said. “He’s not just paying lip service to the people.”

Miller added that Tegerdine “finally gives us a choice.”

“He’s grassroots, one of the regular folks,” she added.

The 30-minute Laurel stop favored a patriotic theme with cars in the area all sporting American flags. The event also included the pledge and the singing of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

In his short speech, Tegerdine said he was inspired to run because Congress “is leading us down to the road to moral and financial ruin, and our incumbent is unwilling or unable to do what is right and make a decision.”

Tegerdine said he believes the problems America faces are not insurmountable.

“It’s not too late,” he said. “The time is now to what we’re supposed to do as Mississippians and Americans to get this country back on track. We need leadership who will represent the values and principles of south Mississippi. That’s why I’ve decided to run as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Congress in this 4th District.”

Tegerdine stressed his four campaign points, which include:

• New leadership

• Limited government

• Fiscal discipline