Kitty Hawk Democrat Paul Tine drew about 40 people to the “official” announcement of his state House campaign.

Tine, a small-business owner and former chairman of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, indicated he’s seeking support from liberals and conservatives.

“I’ve got Republicans, Democrats and independents in, and one from every county” in House District 6, Tine said just before making his speech outside the Beaufort County Board of Elections’ offices in Washington.

District 6 encompasses all of Hyde, Dare and Washington counties plus most of Beaufort County north of the Pamlico River.

The other announced District 6 candidate is Jerry Evans, a Republican and owner of a Washington real-estate business.

District 6 appears to lean Democratic from a statistical perspective, but reportedly harbors a fair number of conservative Democrats and unaffiliated voters.

Tine’s attempts to appeal to disaffected voters of multiple persuasions came to light during his speech.

“The political games in Raleigh are frustrating a lot of people, me included,” he told the crowd. “The constant bickering between the parties has caused us to lose focus on the things that are really important to us. We should have a No. 1 priority, and that should be our economy and building jobs. It seems the leaders in Raleigh are more intent on keeping themselves in Raleigh than in empowering the people.”

Later, he said, “Our government is outdated, too big and in need of reform,” adding the state needs more efficient infrastructure and world-class transportation, though he offered no specific proposals.

He said that, if elected, he’d work to make sure schools receive “the proper support and funding.” He advocated cutting “the administrative red tape” for businesses.

“Finally, we need to reform our safety net,” Tine continued. “Every one of us stumbles from time to time, and we need a helping hand to get back up. But most of us want to get back to work, but either we don’t have the skills or the opportunity to make it happen.”

He said he’d labor to find “creative ways” to link community colleges’ job-training programs with people on welfare and long-term unemployment assistance.

Among the supporters on hand for Tine’s announcement was Vann Rogerson, president and CEO of North Carolina’s Northeast Commission.

The commission promotes economic development in 16 area counties.

Tine serves on the Northeast Commission, according to a news release from his campaign.

“I do like Paul’s philosophies and where he’s going with things,” said Rogerson, speaking as an individual and not as a representative of the commission.

Beaufort County resident John Chrystal also attended the announcement. Asked whether Tine had won his support, Chrystal pointed to pollution he said affects the county. Chrystal confirmed he was considering giving the candidate his support, but hadn’t decided to do so.

“The regulations we have aren’t protecting us now,” he said. “I want to hear him talk about that.”