Rep. Timothy Hill (R-Blountville) confers with House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) March 29, 2018. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)

The House Freedom Caucus is endorsing and raising money for Timothy Hill bid for the Republican nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Phil Roe (R-Johnson City) in the 1st District.

Here’s what the House Freedom Fund had to say about Hill, who is giving up his state House seat to run for Congress:

Timothy is a small business owner with a proven record of fighting for lower taxes, less spending, the 2nd Amendment, and the sanctity of life.

He is the conservative choice in this race who will stand proudly with President Trump and fight the liberal policies promoted by Nancy Pelosi.

This election is in a very strong Republican district so the August 6 primary will determine who wins this seat in November. Please help push this principled leader on to victory.

Hill is one of 16 Republicans running for the seat, including state Kingsport Mayor John Clark, Sen. Rusty Crowe of Johnson City , former Johnson City Mayor Steve Darden, Kingsport pharmacist Diana Harshbarger, and state Rep. David Hawk of Greeneville.

Harshbarger has been the biggest spender so far, dropping most of her $231,500 in expenditures on TV ads.

Clark has announced he wouldn’t seek more than three terms in Congress.

“I’m not a career politician, and as Mayor of Kingsport, I limited myself to two terms in office because I didn’t believe it was a job for one person forever,”  Clark said in a release. “I feel the same about Congress. Our Founding Fathers wanted Washington, D.C. to be a place that public servants visited for a brief period of time, did the people’s work, and went back home to live under the laws they had made. I hope by signing the term limits pledge I can encourage others, including my opponents, to take the same approach.”