District 25 State Senator Shane Massey, fresh off of a protracted victory for a slot in the state senate, announced Thursday afternoon that he will now put together a run for Congress.

Mr. Massey said he will attempt to fill the Congressional position to be vacated by District 3 Congressman Gresham Barrett, who recently announced a bid for the Governor's office. 

"I pretty much decided that I was going to do it last week," Mr. Massey said Thursday.

Mr. Massey said that he understands there may be criticism of the move, especially coming so soon after securing the senate seat following the hard fights he endured, but that the time is now.

"I just think the stakes are too high right now to sit on the sidelines," he added.

In a letter to his constituents, Massey promised to “shake up Congress with small town common-sense.”  

Massey says that Congress has lost touch with America’s working families and he promises to work harder than any elected official to create jobs and build our economy.

As a State Senator, Shane Massey has worked tirelessly to bring conservative reforms to Columbia.

He helped pass monumental transparency and accountability plans in the Senate earlier this year when he joined South Carolina’s most conservative legislators in pushing more “on the record voting.” He is also the author of key earmark legislation in the State Senate that will let voters know exactly which big-spending politicians are wasting our hard-earned tax dollars.  

Shane Massey is currently the State Senator for District 25, representing Aiken, Edgefield, McCormick, and Saluda Counties. He, his wife Blair, and his six-month-old daughter Carter live in Edgefield.  

Look for more coverage of this breaking news story in this week's edition of The Citizen News, and online at www.citizen-news.com.