Republican candidate James Tulp visited Meridian Thursday to talk about the race for Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District. 

Tulp is on the ballot against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, who previously worked as the district attorney for Hinds and Rankin Counties. 

Mississippi’s primary election will be held on March 10. 

Dorothy ‘Dot’ Benford and Katelyn Lee are on the Democratic ballot in the race. 

“I am running to put America first, to put citizens over elites and to make sure that Mississippi is leading the fight for life, for our 2nd Amendment, for strong borders and for President Trump’s agenda,” Tulp said.

He said he also wants to focus on bringing back manufacturing jobs and investing in infrastructure.

Tulp has taken his campaign from Starkville to the southwest corner of the state, he said. 

“We have gone to every single county in the district,” he said. “Everybody is telling us, ‘We feel neglected. We feel like we’re not being represented properly.’”

Tulp, 28, is from Madison and previously taught classes at Mississippi College and hosted a daily political talk show in the Jackson area. 

If elected, he said he would ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the death of 21-year-old Christian Andreacchio, a Meridian man whose 2014 death was ruled a suicide.

Andreacchio’s parents have said they believe he was killed. 

“I don’t think it was properly investigated and I think that any citizen of the United States deserves that,” Tulp said. 

He also pledged to hold regular town hall meetings. 

“You will get somebody who will be accountable to the citizens. You will get somebody who will accessible to the citizens, who will make himself available for critique, for corrections, and for accountability,” he said.