Voters will have another choice on election day for state representative of House District 3.

Republican Troy Bonin announced his candidacy to a crowd of roughly 35 people gathered at the Historic Train Depot in Magnolia March 14.

"I don't consider myself a typical politician," he said. "I'm just a regular guy trying to make a difference."

Bonin's policies line up with conservative ideals, which he said he believes represent voters' values in District 3. Among his main issues are: upholding the 2nd Amendment, scaling back big government and increasing efforts to stop illegal immigration. He said he is pro-life and believes in the Judeo-Christian values that define marriage as between a man and woman.

Bonin said he wants to change the tone of how people interact with elected officials by making himself more accessible and government more transparent.

"I want to meet the needs of the district," he said. "If people want to come to my office and tell me how they feel about anything, I'll be there."

Bonin, who filed to run on March 8, said he is not concerned about getting a late start to campaigning.

"It will be a little tougher coming in a later in the race, but I think we have a good organization in place that can overcome the lost time," he said.

Bonin has run a dental practice, Favour Dental, in Magnolia for five years. He and his wife, Terri, have been married for 23 years and have 10 children together.

He said he decided to run, despite limited experience in politics, after being encouraged by many community members, including several Republican strategists.

"I'm in the race to win, but I want to let the people in the district pick who they think represents them the best," he said. "I think that's me."

Bonin will be running against Cecil Bell Jr. of Magnolia and Bob Bagley of Grangerland. Primary election day is May 29. Early voting is from May 14–25.