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GENESEE COUNTY, MI Republican Allen Hardwick already has an uphill battle trying to unseat an incumbent Congressman in a heavily Democratic district.

It's also a battle he will be waging about 60 miles from home.

Unhappy with his chances of winning his home district, Allen Hardwick has filed to run for a seat two counties away from his Ypsilanti Township home.

While experts say the move is out of the norm, it's not against the rules.

To run for the United States House of Representatives there are three requirements of eligibility: Candidates have to be 25 years old, a citizen of U.S. for seven years and a resident of the state the district is in at time of election.

Hardwick, 50, will face off against Republican candidate Tom Whitmire, 34, of Flushing Township during the August primary. The winner will challenge U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee during the November general election.

Political Analyst Bill Ballenger says it's not a normal situation for a candidate to not live in the district they are running for and it may ultimately hurt his campaign.

"That's certainly odd. ... That's very unusual," Ballenger said. "The bottom line is what realistic chance (does he have) to win the primary?"

It's not just that he's from out of the area, it's also because of his party affiliation, Ballenger said. The district, which includes Genesee, Bay, Arenac and Iosco counties and parts of Tuscola and Saginaw is 63.3 percent Democratic.

But Hardwick, who has lived in Michigan since age 18 and in the Ypsilanti area for the past five years, said he decided to run for the Fifth Congressional District seat because he believed a Republican had a better chance at winning than in District 12, where he lives.

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