A freshly minted state House district in Hall and Gwinnett counties has its first candidate.

Timothy Barr of North Gwinnett announced his intention Friday to run as a Republican for the open seat, part of a redistricting plan Gov. Nathan Deal approved last week.

Barr, 31, is the owner of Patriot Construction Group and a longtime resident of the area.

In his first bid for elected office, Barr seeks to represent the district carved from North Gwinnett and South Hall.

"I'm (running to represent) everybody," Barr said. "It's not one county or another."

Barr cites his budding family as his main reason for running for office.

He said he's always been interested in government and history and has slowly gotten involved in government over the years.

But having children, he said, was what pushed him to run.

Barr and his wife, Melinda, a former educator, have two young daughters, Liberty and Haven.

"We named our first daughter Liberty to remind us of the freedoms we do have and to protect them," Barr said.

Barr also cites recent changes in the national political scene, particularly his disdain for President Barack Obama, whom Barr believes has "infringed on the Constitution."

"That's why I'm running for this seat, to protect the liberties that we do have," he said. "We have to draw a line; we have to defend our Constitution."

But Barr said he didn't see a place for himself in the national political scene, citing his belief that Georgia's current congressional delegation is strong.

But when the opportunity opened in the General Assembly, Barr said it seemed like the place to start.

"We need to draw the line at the state level first and protect our state," he said.

As a candidate, Barr plans to run on a desire to relieve small businesses of what he said are "oppressive government regulations."

He calls himself a traditional government conservative who would like to see lower taxes, and, if elected, promises to evaluate bills by whether they promote traditional family values or reduce the size of government.

The revised House district maps still are awaiting preclearance by the U.S. Justice Department.