The Nationals' first Ballarat candidate in three decades wants to make it a real contest for the regional Victorian seat.
Local councillor and businessman Paul Tatchell will run against Liberal Party candidate Sarah Wade and Labor incumbent Catherine King, who has held the seat since 2001.
It takes to five the Victorian regional contests between the coalition partners.
Mr Tatchell said he was focused on Labor's lead in the seat, which it holds by a 4.9 per cent margin.
"I think it's reasonable to suggest that we needed to create a contest," Mr Tatchell told AAP on Friday.
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Mr Tatchell said regional Australia was missing out and it was the perfect time for The Nationals to provide a new voice in Ballarat.
"I just want to make sure that this election campaign in Ballarat is from the ground up and it's about people, not party politics."
Mr Tatchell is the deputy mayor and former mayor of Moorabool Shire Council and has run a family business in the trucking industry.
The National Party of Victoria state director Sally Branson said the decision to contest Ballarat was in response to lobbying by party members.
"We're a membership-based organisation and we were getting lots of interest from our members around having a National Party voice in the election campaign to agitate for rural and regional issues like jobs and infrastructure," Ms Branson told AAP.
The Nationals have not fielded a candidate in Ballarat since the 1987 federal election.
The party will compete against coalition partner the Liberals in five Victorian electorates: Ballarat, Indi, Bendigo, McEwen and Murray, the latter following Liberal MP Sharman Stone's decision to retire after 20 years in federal politics.
Ms Branson said the contest between coalition partners would be done in a respectful manner.
"There are some seats where we would not run someone because it's not appropriate to have a National person there, whereas there are some seats like the Mallee where it is a National seat so the Liberal Party don't think it is appropriate to run anyone there in this election."
