GAINESVILLE — When voters elected U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde in 2020 it was in part because his anti-establishment message resonated in his deeply conservative district.

But now some Republicans in northeast Georgia’s 9th Congressional District say Clyde is too much of an outsider, openly challenging GOP leaders like President Donald Trump. And they say he prioritizes pet issues, like gun rights, instead of focusing on his constituents in a district where farmlands are becoming subdivisions.

Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon and Hall County Commissioner Gregg Poole have filed paperwork to challenge Clyde in next year’s GOP primary. They say voters deserve a congressman who is more present and plugged in.

“I am hearing people say they never see him out there,” Couvillon said. “They don’t reall

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