An independent candidate is trying to join a crowded field to run against U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens.

James P. Mason, 26, is a Jefferson resident and ex-Marine who served in Afghanistan and now works as a marketer for a tire company. Mr. Mason is gathering signatures to get on the November ballot as an independent, he said.

He will file paperwork this week to begin raising money, he said.

To get on the ballot, Mr. Mason will need to gather signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in the 10th Congressional District, or 17,084 people, and submit them no later than July 8, said Matt Carrothers, a spokesman for Secretary of State Karen Handel.

If he succeeds, he will face Democrat Bobby Saxon and either Mr. Broun or Republican challenger Barry Fleming in November.

-- From staff reports